The End Is Not The End
by musicchica10
Summary: One look at the airport crumbled all of their self control...they realized this wasn't the end, but just the beginning...the beginning of not only them, but troubles they had never imagined. Post-movie. Arthur & Ariadne.
1. The Look

**This is my first attempt at an Inception fanfic. It's post-movie...I don't think this is going to be long, I'm thinking maybe a three parter. So let me know what you think of it! I absolutely loved Arthur, and Ariadne was so awesome. They make such a cute couple! I called it from the beginning...(well at least when they first met) haha!**

**I don't own Inception...I wish I did cuz then I'd have such a brilliant mind and I wouldn't be writing fanfics...since I don't own Inception, I am here writing now...enjoy!

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She watches as he makes his way through the immigration checkpoint, glad to see that he made it through without any problems. She is happy for him, happy that he can go be with his children. So much time and hard work was spent for him to get to this point, and now he can go and be with them.

She makes her way through immigration. Her passport handed to her. She smiles and walks out to the gate, knowing that this could very well be the last time she sees any of them. She makes it to baggage claim, grabbing her suitcase and hauling it with her to the nearest bench.

She has absolutely no idea what she's going to do next. She could buy a ticket for the next flight to Paris, or she could stay in Los Angeles for a few days, she could afford it now. Finishing this job allowed her to get paid quiet a lot of money, and she could very well stay and do tourist-y things.

She sighs and looks up. She sees him there, glancing at her from a distance. The looks they're sharing are ones that are beyond platonic. Their eyes meet through the thick crowd. She's not sure if it's ok for them to be staring at each other, Cobb never said if it was ok to stay with each other or even be around each other after the job.

Their gazes and stares are obvious to only them. The busy crowd of people are oblivious to the young people. Their eyes have kept contact for more than a minute. And for a moment it feels like it's only them. The people surrounding them seem to disappear. She wants so much to run to him, to talk to him. She doesn't want to leave him. They have barely known each other, but she feels so complete when he's around. She feels as if she knows him.

The job is finished. She knows that. She knows she has to leave. They must each go their separate ways and forget about each other. Just the thought of that breaks her heart. As she begins to slowly turn away she feels time slow down. Suddenly the noisy airport isn't so noisy. She watches him curiously, hoping that he would make the first move. She doesn't want to tear her gaze away from him, but she might just have to do that.

Suddenly he drops his bags. Her heart leaps in her chest as she watches him. Quickly he rushes to her, weaving through the thick crowd, that minutes ago wasn't there to them. She is smiling now. She can't believe that he's making his way over to her. This is what she wanted, and suddenly she's nervous. She doesn't know what to do. So she just stands there.

Finally, after what seems like hours, he reaches her and she quickly grabs both of his hands, lacing their fingers together. Both of them realize that this isn't the end, but it's just the beginning. The beginning of…well they're not quite sure yet.

"Ariadne, do you want to get dinner?" Arthur asked, watching her intently.

Ariadne was nervous. She never really had long lasting boyfriends, she hadn't even been asked out much. She had a few boyfriends, but it always ended up that their education got in the way of the relationship, so they'd end it.

"Yes. Where do you plan on taking me?" She asked, smiling up at him.

"Well why don't we go find a hotel and get settled, cleaned up, and changed. Then we can figure out dinner details later." Arthur suggested.

"Is it ok for us to be together. I mean after…you know? Cobb never said anything about it, but I just don't want people to get too suspicious or something." Ariadne asked.

Arthur chuckled. "No, it's fine. We've never really had any rules, unless we felt that it was a dangerous situation. I think we'll be fine. Look, Eames and Yusuf are over there. I think we'll be ok. Just as long as we don't go out in a big group, separating into small groups should be fine."

"Alright. So where's this hotel you're taking me to?" Ariadne asked as they walked out of the airport, calling for a taxi.

When they arrived at the hotel Ariadne gaped at the beauty of it. It was huge and according to Arthur, it was one of the best hotel's in L.A.

"Can you afford this?" Ariadne asked, breathlessly, forgetting that they had just got paid a large sum.

Arthur chuckled again. "Yes. And don't worry about paying for you, I'll handle that."

"No. I can pay for mine, I mean I don't want you to have to pay for me."

"It's alright really." Arthur assured her.

"Alright, but I get to pay for dinner then." She reasoned.

"Fine." Arthur agreed, grabbing her bags and leading her into the hotel. He quickly asked for two rooms, only to find that there was only one room left. He sighed and turned to Ariadne.

"What do you want to do?" He asked her, feeling a bit nervous.

"Well we could share a room, I don't see the problem in that. We've slept in the same room before after all." Ariadne reasoned remembering all the times they had shared dreams and were asleep next to each other.

"You sure?" Arthur asked uncertain.

"Yes, of course. We could always find another hotel if you wanted." She silently hoped that he would agree to share a room, she would feel more comfortable that way anyways.

"Alright. We'll take the room. Two beds." Arthur turned to the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, but we only have a king sized bed in that room." She told him apologetically. He sighed again and turned to Ariadne who nodded at him, biting her lip nervously.

"We'll take it." He said, handing her his card. She quickly rang him up and gave him their keys.

"Sixth floor, room 618." The receptionist told them happily.

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized to her.

"Don't worry about it, it's ok. Really." She was excited actually. Getting to spend time with Arthur, sharing a bed with him. In reality she was grateful that this misfortune happened to them.

"Well then, we'll have to share a bathroom. You can take it first. Go clean up." Arthur told her as they entered the room.

It was a beautiful room, painted dark brown with oak desks and cabinets. The bed was huge, the comforter also a brown color. The TV was set up right in front of the bed, and their mini fridge was stocked with all kinds of snacks and drinks.

Ariadne took in the room, her eyes widening as she looked at everything. She had never been able to stay at a hotel this nice before. She definitely couldn't afford it. Arthur watched her, amused, but admiring her beauty and grace as she slowly made her way around the room. Her hand running along the soft fabric of the comforter.

"Wow. This is…it's so beautiful." She said quietly, more to herself than to Arthur.

Arthur smirked. "Yeah, it is." He replied, talking about her more than the room.

"So, uh, I'm gonna go take a shower and change. I won't be long so you can get in." She replied, taking her bag from Arthur and setting it on the left side of the bed, quickly unzipping it and pulling out a change of clothes. He watched her and grinned as she pulled out a scarf.

"Ok. Take your time. No rush. We don't have to be anywhere on time."

Ariadne laughed. "Yeah true. But I don't want to be long." She closed the door behind her and locked it.

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Arthur sighed and sat on the bed. This was going to be interesting. Sure he liked her, he liked her a lot. He couldn't deny the attraction he felt for her from the beginning. The moment she walked in, he could tell she was different. She was smart, she picked up on things fast. He loved the way she smiled and asked so many questions, obviously hungry to learn.

He remembered when she experienced her first death in a dream. She was so scared, but he was quickly at her side, comforting her, reassuring her. And when she had so stubbornly walked away, he watched in amazement that a girl could have this effect on him.

"_She'll be back." Cobb had told him. And deep down he knew it too. _

When she came back the next day, he wasn't surprised at all. He was more pleased than anything. And seeing the little spark in her eyes when she told him that she couldn't stay away, made his heart melt ever so slightly.

Teaching her about paradoxes was one of the most fun experiences he's had. She caught on so fast, and her quick, witty comments kept him on edge.

Before leaving for their mission, Cobb had told her that she had done a good job. It made him feel so proud, and he wasn't sure why. He glanced at her, a smug smirk on his face, and she looked at him, a slight blush appearing on her soft cheeks.

The one thing he couldn't forget, even if he wanted to, was their kiss. He had wanted to kiss her, and found the perfect excuse to. And she believed him, she actually went along with it.

"_Quick give me a kiss." _

_She leaned in and kissed him. When she pulled back she looked around, alarmed still._

"_They're still looking." _

"_Well, it was worth a shot." Arthur grinned as he got up._

Arthur smiled as he remembered this. Sure it was in a dream, but if he could, he'd make it reality. He just had to remember to not let things get out of control, like Cobb. He sighed and took off his blazer, quickly loosening his tie and taking that off. He unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. He kicked off his shoes and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it disheveled.

He was too busy getting comfortable to notice Ariadne open the door and stare at him.

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Ariadne was remembering back to the beginning of it all. She remembered when Professor Miles called her over to meet Cobb. She was curious, excited, and nervous when she met him. After hearing about everything that he did, she wanted to go ahead and give it a try, and she remembered talking to Cobb, but suddenly realizing she was in a dream.

That first experience was amazing. She remembered coming out of the dream and seeing Arthur standing there, monitoring the little silver suitcase. When they woke up he turned to Cobb and listened to what he had to say, waiting for his next orders. Dom had told him to put them under for another five minutes, and she remembered seeing a little sparkle in his eye when she got ready to create.

Being attacked in her dream was terrifying. She wouldn't wake up, and usually she always woke up, but she got stabbed. Cobb's wife stabbed her in her dream. She woke up gasping, her eyes shut tight, afraid of seeing her there. Arthur was quickly by her side, grabbing her hand and telling her to look at him. That had calmed her down a little bit, but it scared her to think how dangerous Cobb's mind really was. She didn't feel comfortable with it, and as much as she wanted to see Arthur everyday, she was too afraid of all the possibilities. She quickly grabbed her stuff and told Arthur she wasn't about to open her mind for someone like Cobb.

She left quickly, thoughts storming through her head, but she was curious and as much as she hated it, she would go back. She knew that now that she's seen this place, a place of pure creation, she had to go back. Despite what could happen, she knew that this would be an amazing experience.

When she went back, Arthur had smirked, saying that Cobb had said she'd be back. She blushed, knowing he was right. After getting past the awkward silence, Arthur quickly got her set up for a lesson of his own. He had taught her about paradoxes and all the cool tricks she could do with them. She was impressed to say the least, but that only made him more attractive to her.

After learning all she could, she began working on the scales, mazes, and layouts of what the dreams would be in. Cobb had praised her work, and she smiled, glancing sideways and blushing when she saw the proud, smug look on Arthur's face. She could tell that he too was impressed, and that made her proud of her work. She never felt that before.

When they started the Fischer project, she was a little nervous, but he helped her calm down by reassuring her. When they entered the first level of the dream, they were attacked mercilessly by Fischer's projections, leaving Cobb angry with Arthur. He began yelling at him, and that made Ariadne a little upset. It wasn't Arthur's fault, and Cobb was overreacting. She just stood by and watched though, knowing it was the best thing for now.

When they reached the second level, she was paired up with Arthur. She felt nervous about being around him alone, but it pleased her to know that she was at his side. As Cobb was explaining who he was to Fischer, his projections started to stare at them. She became nervous. She voiced her concern.

"_Quick give me a kiss." Arthur told her, leaning to her and placing a kiss on her lips._

_She looked up and around, checking to see if it distracted or threw off the projections._

"_They're still looking."_

"_Well, it was worth a shot." Arthur replied, standing up. Ariadne just stared at him, a smile forming on her lips as she got up and followed him._

Ariadne smiled and touched her lips as she remembered this. That was one of the best parts of the long dream. Her lips touching his was burned into her brain, and she longed for a repeat of it. She quickly dried herself off and dressed, wrapping the towel around her head and opening the door quietly.

She gaped at the sight in front of her. Arthur was lying on the bed, his shirt unbuttoned two buttons down, his tie thrown on his suitcase carelessly, his sleeves rolled up, his shoes on the floor next to his suitcase, and his hair disheveled. He wasn't dressed all professional and collected, instead he was showing a more comfortable, casual look that she had never seen before.

She realized she had been staring for quite some time and looked down quickly, blushing as she did so.

Arthur finally looked up, seeing her standing there with her head down and some pink in her cheeks.

"Hey, you done?" He asked, grabbing some clothes out of his bag and heading to the bathroom.

"Yeah, take your time." She quietly replied, moving past him, her arm brushing his as she walked past.

"Alright. I won't be long." He replied, closing and locking the door behind him.

Arthur smirked as he leaned against the door. He noticed the soft pink color in Ariadne's cheeks when he looked up at her. She must have been staring at him, but he didn't catch it.

He quickly took a shower, washing his hair and face before washing his body. He dried off and got dressed, putting on a pair of expensive jeans, a black and white striped V-neck shirt, and a fitted grey blazer with sleeves that went a little past his elbows. He opened the door and began drying his hair, which was falling in his eyes since it wasn't styled back. He looked around when he walked out, not finding Ariadne on the bed or at the desk.

He turned to his right and saw her at the small area where there was a sink and mirror, she was carefully curling her hair. She had blow dried it when he was in the shower.

Ariadne was so concentrated that she didn't see Arthur come out of the bathroom or even see him leaning against the wall watching her intently.

"I like it." Arthur said, and Ariadne jumped, dropping the curling iron. It was swinging back and forth from the cord, coming dangerously close to her legs.

"Don't do that!" Ariadne gasped and quickly picked up the curling iron avoiding the metal so she wouldn't burn herself. That's just what she needed, to burn herself in front of Arthur.

"Sorry." He apologized, chuckling quietly.

"And thanks." Ariadne quickly added, turning back to the mirror. She smiled to herself as she finished curling her hair, glad that he likes it. She had noticed his hair too, it wasn't styled and she liked it. Maybe he would let her help him with it.

"So are you going to leave your hair down." Ariadne casually asked after finishing with her hair.

Arthur was sitting on the bed reading and he looked up.

"Sorry?"

"Are you going to slick back your hair or can I do something with it?" She asked.

"Oh, uh, I hadn't thought about it yet, I was just going to slick it back, but…"

"Yes, hurry come here!" Ariadne eagerly exclaimed. She couldn't wait to style his hair. He sighed and got up, placing the book in his suitcase and standing next to her.

She pulled a chair and motioned for him to sit in it, he did so and she quickly grabbed a comb. She studied him for a minute, putting the comb up to her lips, her eyes focused, deep in thought.

Arthur noticed this and smiled softly. He was curious to see what she was going to do with his hair. He blinked when she made a sudden move and rushed behind him.

She parted his hair to the left, allowing him to run his fingers through it to keep it parted like that, a few strands fell forward and she smiled. He looked at her uneasily, not used to having his hair styled different, but noticing her smile he smiled back, standing up.

"Thank you." He said walking back to his bag, pulling out his shoes. She nodded and just watched him. She sighed quietly and walked back to the mirror, deciding to put on some make up. She quickly applied eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara. She quickly made her way to her bag to grab her satchel and pulled out lip gloss, applying it on while slipping on a pair of flats.

"You ready?" He asked, slipping on his shoes and looking up at her.

Ariadne nodded and put her satchel on. He smiled and held his arm out for her to grab. She looped her arm through his and grinned nervously.

"So where should we go?" Arthur asked and looked at Ariadne curiously.

"I guess we'll just see where we end up." She simply answered, not removing her eyes from his gaze.

"Ok then, spontaneous dinner then? Not really my thing…" He trailed off.

"Oh, well if you want to pick someplace we can." She quickly said, afraid that maybe a spontaneous dinner wasn't the best idea.

"No, no, I'm fine. It could be fun." He assured her.

"Alright, well let's see what we find then." She told him, pulling him along. Arthur called for a taxi, and they got in, ready to see what the night had in store for them.

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**So there's the first chapter...I hope you like it, if you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to let me know. I don't know what kind of restaurant to send them to or anything...I'm not really familiar with the LA area, but I do have something in mind, especially if it's casual and Ariadne picks the place ;) So let me know what you thought of this chapter...again it's probably going to be a three parter...maybe up to five chapters, but I don't intend on writing a long story...I have others that I need to work on...so review!  
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	2. InNOut

**Next chapter up! I'm so excited that this story has gotten so many story alert's! Thank you for reading this! It means a lot to me! Especially since taking on an Inception fanfic is definitely a challenge. So thank you all you readers! Read and review!**

**I don't own Inception, Christopher Nolan does, I wish I did though cuz then I could have Arthur! ;)

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As Arthur and Ariadne were riding in the taxi, Arthur couldn't help but take in Ariadne's apparel. She was wearing skinny jeans, surprisingly short enough, with a dark blue V-neck shirt with gold beads on it, she was wearing black flats with a gold buckle on them. Her hair was curled and left flowing, reaching just below her shoulders.

He smiled slightly and brought his eyes up to her face. She had put on brown eye shadow with eyeliner on her top eyelids and mascara. Simple, but beautiful nonetheless.

He liked that she didn't seem to care too much about her appearance. She wasn't like the girls who spent hours upon hours getting ready. She could get ready in an hour or less if she wanted to, and he admired that in her.

Ariadne could feel Arthur's eyes on her, but she was too nervous to meet his gaze. She just looked at her feet, hoping he'd stop staring, and when he didn't, she finally looked up.

Her eyes met his and she had to control herself from blushing, she could feel her cheeks getting hotter and decided to speak up, to draw attention away from her.

"So, do you know of any interesting places to eat here? Or are we going to continue to drive around aimlessly?"

"Well I have an idea of where to go…it's not going to be a fancy restaurant or anything. If that's ok?" He asked, raising a brow.

"That's completely fine. I think I'm used to having cheap food." She joked lightly. "Where exactly do you plan on taking me?"

"You'll see." He smirked.

"Oh come on, you can't just give me a hint?" She pouted playfully.

He watched her and had to fight to not lean in and kiss her right then and there.

"There are palm trees." He gave her a small hint.

"Really? That's all you're going to give me? There are palm trees everywhere! We're in L.A!" She protested, wanting to get more out of him.

Arthur chuckled and shook his head. "You just need to be patient."

"I hate being patient." Ariadne crossed her arms. She knew he had a place in mind, and knew he would make it fun, but she really wanted to know where they were going.

They were stuck in traffic for an hour, and Ariadne's stomach was growling. Arthur looked at her and laughed.

"Someone's hungry." He snickered.

"Yeah well, if I knew where we were going maybe it would help." She blushed and argued.

"Soon. We'll be there soon." Arthur said, looking out the window. He saw the big city. There were tons of cars speeding by and traffic was crazy. It was something he loved. He loved the crowded cities. Being in a large crowd always made him feel at peace. He felt that no one was watching him or was suspicious. He was just merely another person in a crowd.

Ariadne watched as a small, peaceful smile appeared on Arthur's face. She followed his gaze, but furrowed her brows. There were just a bunch of cars driving by fast. She wanted to know what he was thinking about, but didn't want to interrupt his thoughts. As she continued to watch him and look out the window, she had an idea of what he was thinking.

She loved that the city was so busy and large. She liked to be in places where there were tons of people. She found it oddly comforting. Watching Arthur now, she had a feeling he felt the same way.

"You find the city peaceful huh?" She finally broke his thoughts. Arthur slowly turned his head to her and nodded.

"Yeah. It's just amazing that so many people can live in a place and be so oblivious to each other. It's kind of nice too. Not having everyone know you or even notice you. It's like you're your own person in a crowd."

"Yeah." She whispered. "That's why I fell in love with Paris. I mean yes it's also an amazing place to be for architecture, but the people and commotion there are so calming."

Arthur nodded in understanding, amazed that this young, beautiful woman could have so much in common with him. He looked at his watch and frowned, it was almost 12.

He sighed. "I guess we'll be having lunch then, but it's ok, the place we're going to is more of a lunch and dinner place."

"Are you going to tell me now?" She asked exasperated.

"Well take a look for yourself, we're here." He smiled and nodded towards the building.

She quickly turned her head to look out her window. She grinned and turned to Arthur.

"It's definitely not a place I'd picture you at." She smirked and got out of the cab, allowing Arthur to pay for the ride. She waited for him and began walking when he got next to her.

"So, In-N-Out Burger huh? Never pictured you as an In-N-Out guy." She nudged him playfully.

"Hey, I happen to love this place. There's no place like this, that's for sure. It's a must have when you come to California." He said matter-of-factly.

"I believe you. I think I've had it once, when I was younger we came to Disneyland. But I was so young I barely remember." Ariadne told him.

"Yeah, whenever I'm here I always make it a priority to come here at least once. So this is my once, and yours now too." He smiled.

They ate lunch in playful banter and laughing. Ariadne was amazed that Arthur could be so calm and casual. There was no business attitude or professionalism here, and she liked that. Even though he was more relaxed, he still had that air or propriety in his posture and attitude. He was a perfect gentleman and he was so polite. She had never met a guy like him.

After they finished eating they decided to walk a little and find a cab. As they were walking they both fell into comfortable silence, and the questions and thoughts that Ariadne had pushed away were slowly making there way to the front of her mind.

"What are you going to do now?" Ariadne asked, the booming question finally making it's way out.

Arthur looked at her curiously and raised a brow in understanding.

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe head home for a few weeks, find a place to live. Now that Cobb is probably retired I have nowhere else to go."

Ariadne nodded. She was hoping for a different answer, one involving him moving to Paris, but that was getting her hopes up.

"I suppose finishing college would be a good idea." She said, shrugging. After experiencing the dream world, nothing would be quite the same.

Arthur sighed knowing that they would be getting into more serious subjects and decided to get a cab heading to a nice place to talk.

"Let's get a cab and we'll find a place to talk, then head back to the hotel." Arthur said, raising his hand.

"Taxi!"

Ariadne just nodded, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. This was going to be harder than she thought.

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**Thanks for reading! Now review! :D**


	3. The Talk

**Yay! New chapter! I'm so amazed at how many alerts I have gotten for this story! I'm glad you all like it and are willing to read it! It makes me so happy. So here is the next chapter for you, I hope you like it, it's something I had to come up with quickly since I'll be leaving for vacation and probably won't have time to write. So here is a chapter for you! Read and review! And if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them!**

**I really wish I owned Inception, but the amazing Christopher Nolan owns it.

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The taxi ride was tense and quiet. Ariadne knew that she was not looking forward to this conversation. It was easier to be carefree and ignore the big elephant in the room. She stole a glance at Arthur who looked stiff and upset. His normally calm and collected features completely gone.

She sighed and looked down at her hands, they were intertwined at her lap. She was hoping that all this was just going to be a bad dream, that she would wake up and Arthur was right there smiling next to her.

She dug her hand into her small satchel and searched for her bishop, finding it at the bottom of her bag she clutched in desperately. It only confirmed that this was real, and reality sucked at the moment.

The cab stopped at a small beach, Arthur quickly gave the cab driver money and got out of the car, followed closely by Ariadne.

The cool breeze was refreshing and calming to both of them, and both relaxed a little before heading to the beach. Arthur guided Ariadne to the shore, walking along the slow tide.

Ariadne was waiting for him to say something, but decided to be the one to speak up first.

"What are we doing Arthur?" She quietly asked.

"We're walking along the beach." Arthur joked, trying to keep the conversation and mood light for just a little longer.

Ariadne sighed. "No, I mean between us."

Arthur looked down at his feet as he walked and gathered his thoughts. He knew that they would have to make a choice, albeit a difficult one.

"I don't know. We really have to think things through Ari."

Ariadne was a little shocked by his nickname for her, but quickly recovered and stared at him with big brown eyes.

"Ok then, let's talk." She was determined. They could make things work. She knew they could, but it was just a matter of figuring things out. And knowing Arthur, it would take some thinking through and planning, maybe even lists. He had to have everything perfect and planned out.

Arthur just stared at her as he abruptly stopped walking. She got nervous, biting her lip she thought carefully about what she was going to say.

"I want to give us a shot. I don't want to just forget this ever happened, forget that kiss never happened." She told him, her gaze never leaving his.

"But how are we going to make it work? You'll be in Paris, I don't know where I'll be. And don't say that you'll follow me, you and I both know that you need to finish college. I want you to." Arthur reasoned.

"I know that, but why can't you come to Paris? I only have another year left and then I can leave Paris." She said, trying to convince him to move to Paris.

Arthur thought about this and frowned. He wanted so much to do just that, to move to Paris, to be with her, but what happens if he needs to work? He had been working with Cobb for so long that he actually had no idea what he was going to do. He sighed, frustrated and looked away.

Ariadne could see the confliction on his face. This wasn't easy for him, she could tell, but she knew that if she were persuasive enough she could get him to move.

"Arthur, you have no where else to go. You've been with Cobb for I don't even know how long, but he's gone. And you have to accept that. And whether or not you'll get back into extraction, I don't know, but right now you're not, you can move to Paris, find a job, and start a normal life." Ariadne was sure she had him now, his face was slowly softening, full of contemplation.

"Ari…I…I don't know what normal is. I want you to have a normal life…"

"I've already been exposed Arthur, so don't say that I won't have a normal life, cuz now I won't. And I can show you how to live normally, but I'm sure you already have some kind of idea on how to live normal…" Suddenly it dawned on her, his hesitance became so much clearer now and she looked at him carefully.

"You're scared. Scared that we'll end up like Mal and Dom…" She trailed off, watching the guilty expression on his face.

"I just don't want to lose you the same way he did, I don't want to become like him." Arthur quietly responded.

Ariadne didn't know what to say, she never thought about that, but it was a possibility.

"But we're not them Arthur. We're different people and we can learn from their mistakes. We don't have to end up like them. As long as we take Cobb's advice, we should be fine."

"He hasn't given us any advice Ariadne." Arthur quickly pointed out.

"But he can." She whispered.

"What? You want to go talk to Dom, now? And ask for advice?" Arthur wasn't sure it was a good idea, but she was making sense to him, and he really did want to be with her and give them a shot.

He really liked her and would do anything for her, but he felt that intruding on Dom now would be wrong. He just got his family back and having two former colleagues come to his home might not be something he'd want.

Arthur sighed and rubbed his face, not sure whether he should give Dom a call or not. As soon as he saw the pleading look in Ariadne's eyes he gave in. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number he didn't think he'd be calling so soon.

"_Hello?" _Arthur could hear giggling and screaming in the background and smiled, knowing that Cobb is probably happy.

"Dom." Arthur said.

"_Arthur? What's wrong? Are you alright? Is everyone else ok?" _Cobb sounded worried and it was nice to know that he still cared.

"Yeah, yeah we're ok. It's just…uh, this is so awkward, but do you think Ariadne and I could come over and talk to you?"

"_About what?" _Arthur could sense the hesitation in his voice and sighed, knowing that if he didn't tell him, Dom would refuse if he thought it had to do with going back to work.

"Relationships." Arthur stated quietly, almost as if he were embarrassed or afraid of Dom's reaction.

"_Relationships? You and Ariadne huh? I could tell that you guys hit it off, and figured it was only a matter of time before you did something…"_ Dom chuckled and Arthur could feel his face getting hotter. He looked at Ariadne, who was nervously watching him and playing with her scarf. _"Yeah, come on over, the kids want to see Uncle Artie."_

"Thanks Dom, I'm sorry to intrude on you, but…"

"_It's fine, really. I'm glad to help. Just call when you're on your way."_

"We will. Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow." Arthur said goodbye and hung up.

Ariadne waited for him to explain things, slowly a smile crept on her lips.

"He's going to help?" She asked.

"Yes." He grinned and she hugged him, not letting go for what seemed like hours.

"Now how about we go get some rest before tomorrow?" Arthur suggested.

Ariadne nodded as she yawned. Arthur grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. He looked up at her and grinned like he's never grinned before.

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**So what did you think? I wasn't sure I should add Dom in the story, but figured, why not? So let me know what you thought and push that lovely review button :)**


	4. The Awkward Moment

**Alright here's the next chapter! Sorry for the wait, but I was on vacation and didn't have time to write. I start school today, and I don't know how busy I will be, but I'm going to try to update as much as I can. Anyways, here's the next chapter...I know you all wanted to see what Cobb had to say, but I decided to wait til the next chapter. So hope you like this one! Read and Review!  
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**I don't own Inception..I wish I did though...I wish I owned Joseph Gordon-Levitt too... ;)

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The taxi drive back to the hotel was quiet. Both Arthur and Ariadne were too busy thinking about the conversation they were going to have with Cobb. There was an unspoken fear about what he would tell them.

Ariadne looked out the window and sighed, she hadn't meant to sigh out loud, but it came out anyway.

"You ok?" Arthur asked almost instantly.

She snapped her head up and looked at him. "Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." As if on cue a yawn escaped and she blushed.

Arthur chuckled softly and looked back out the window.

"You can go to sleep once we get back to the hotel." He told her, glancing at her briefly.

It wasn't until now that she thought about what was going to happen. They had one king sized bed. She began to feel hot and looked at Arthur. She would have to share a bed with him. She hadn't thought of it at all. Nervously she began playing with her scarf, not noticing Arthur's questioning gaze.

When they arrived at the hotel, Arthur paid the cab driver and helped Ariadne out of the car. She smiled at him and walked to the elevator, waiting for it to open so they could head to their room.

Ariadne couldn't hold in the yawn and Arthur smiled knowingly. He grabbed her hand and drew circles on her hand soothingly.

"It's been a long day. Technically it's been longer if you think about it. It can get exhausting. Dream sharing that is. Especially with how deep you and Cobb went."

"Yeah, you would think that sleeping 10 hours straight would be less exhausting." She joked.

"Yeah well, not this kind of sleep." Arthur replied. The elevator dinged and they stepped into it and she pushed the button for their floor.

The ride up to the floor was quiet but comfortable. When they reached their floor, Arthur guided them to their room where he inserted the key and opened the door. He followed Ariadne into the room and watched as she collapsed onto the bed.

"You take the bed, I'll take the chair." Arthur finally said.

"What? No, I can't let you do that. I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that you aren't comfortable." Ariadne reasoned.

"I'll be fine, I've slept in worse." Arthur informed her.

"No seriously Arthur, it's ok. You need rest just as much as I do, and you need a comfortable sleep. You can't sleep on that chair. Look at it. The bed is big enough for both of us." Ariadne stared at Arthur, she had her mind made up and he could see that. He sighed and smiled.

"Alright, but if you kick me, I'll be sure to wake you up loudly." Arthur joked.

Ariadne laughed and shook her head. "I won't kick you."

She walked to her suitcase and pulled out her pajamas. She walked to the bathroom as Arthur watched her movements. She turned around at the last minute and smiled at him.

"You can change while I'm changing." She told him before closing the door.

Arthur smiled and took out some pajama pants and a blue t-shirt. He took of his blazer and shirt and folded them before putting them on top of his suitcase. He quickly took of his pants and slipped on his pajama bottoms. Folding his pants he heard the door open and a small gasp coming from Ariadne. He smirked and turned around.

"Sorry, I figured you were done, and I…I uh, I'll just go back in and wait." Ariadne rambled nervously.

"Ari, it's fine. I just need to put on my shirt."

Ariadne just stared at Arthur. She hadn't seen him without a shirt before, let alone so casual and underdressed. Knowing that she shouldn't be staring at his bare chest she tried looking away, but she couldn't.

"Ari? Ariadne?" Arthur walked over to her, his shirt still in his hands.

"Uh, sorry, I'm just really tired and zoning out. I think I'm gonna get into bed now." She recovered quickly and walked to the bed, smiling when she knew he couldn't see her face.

Arthur shook his head in amusement and pulled his shirt on, walking to the other side of the bed and getting in.

"Goodnight Ariadne." He said, only to find that she was already asleep. He smiled to himself and leaned in and kissed her forehead before turning off the light and going to sleep himself.

Ariadne woke up feeling a slight weight around her waist. She turned over to find Arthur's arm slung around her waist. Not knowing what to do, she just laid there, staring at him. She smiled and gently cupped his cheek and allowed her hand to roam to his hair, messing it up slightly. Even in his sleep his hair was perfect.

Arthur stirred and she pulled her hand back quickly. Just as she pulled her hand away, Arthur's eyes opened lazily, widening at the sight of her so close. Noticing his arm around her waist, his eyes widened even more, but he couldn't bring himself to pull away.

They both just laid there, staring wide-eyed at each other, not knowing what to say. Their blushes were evident on both their faces and Ariadne quickly dropped her gaze from his.

"Good morning." She whispered shyly. She looked up at him again and saw him smiling softly.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" He asked.

"Yes. I didn't dream though." She answered disappointedly.

"I'm sorry. You've only done one job, so your dreaming should come back." Arthur tried reassuring her. He knew what it was like not being able to dream, but there was always the chance that she would never be able to dream again, and he understood that feeling.

"I hope so. But I doubt it. When was the last time you dreamt?" She asked curiously. Sensing his body tense she looked up at him with a confused expression.

"I dream every once in a while. And when I say once in a while, I mean once in a long while. The last time I dreamt was last year. If I remember correctly that is." Arthur replied.

"Oh." Ariadne barely whispered. Having forgotten about the arm around her waist, she turned over quickly to get out of bed, only to pull Arthur with her, both tumbling to the floor. Arthur landed on top of her, he tried to break the fall so that he wouldn't squish her, but they were both aware that that wasn't the issue.

Surprised, Ariadne could only stare at him, and him stare at her. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours until Ariadne recovered from the shock and gasped.

"I'm so sorry Arthur! I didn't mean to pull you off the bed with me!"

Arthur, also recovered from the moment, chuckled. "It's alright Ari." He quickly got up, helping her up too.

"Thanks. I uh, I'm going to go shower. I won't be long." She mumbled, grabbing a few clothes and rushing into the bathroom, her face flustered.

As soon as the door closed, Arthur sighed nervously. He hadn't realized he was so tense and nervous. He definitely hadn't expected the morning to start off like this. He smiled when he thought of her face when he woke up and when she realized what had just happened when they fell out of bed.

_This is going to be an interesting day._ Thought Arthur.

Today is the day that Ariadne and he were going to visit Cobb. It was a nerve wracking though. Going to a friend, someone he had worked with for many years, and asking him advice on relationships. Especially since he had dealt with his own problems involving relationships.

Arthur only hoped that they would be able to make this work. He really did like Ariadne. He couldn't say he loved her, that would be too soon. But he did care for her a lot and wanted to get to the point where he could say he loved her. He wanted them to have a chance, and he hoped Ariadne felt the same way.

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**This was more of a filler chapter I guess, with a little bit of cute interaction...let me know what you think.**


	5. The Advice

**Alright here is the next chapter. It's a little serious and a little playful...so let me know what you think. Updates might start coming farther apart, especially since I started school and will have TONS of homework...but I'll try to update when I get the chance...read and review!**

**I want to own Inception...maybe if I keep wishing for it I will get it...or not... :(

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As they were in the taxi, both Arthur and Ariadne couldn't help but think of what Cobb would have to say. They both had a fear of what would happen and if he would approve of them.

Arthur wanted nothing more than Dom's approval. He was like a father and brother to him. They had worked together for years and he was the only person he really had to go to. He could no longer go back to his family, his father disowned him when he found out what Arthur was up to and they hadn't talked to each other since then.

Ariadne, on the other hand, knew that Cobb would be supportive. He of all people should know what it was like to love someone, to be half of a whole, as Mal put it. She wasn't worrying about what Cobb would say, but what would her parents, her family, say. She hadn't talked to them in years, she left to Paris without support or approval of her family. They wanted her to take up the family business, but she loved Architecture and wanted to pursue that. When she told her family, they ended up getting into a huge fight and ended on bad terms.

She sighed and looked at Arthur who seemed to have the same pensive look she had a few moments ago. She realized that she didn't know anything about him. She didn't even know his last name, and yet she trusted him fully. She knew she could count on him and he would be there for her.

The taxi quickly came into a small, gated community, which Ariadne assumed was Cobb's. It was cute, but she didn't picture this to be where Cobb lived. All the houses looked the same. Tall pointed roofs with a Victorian style structure. They pulled up to a house which was light brown with dark brown trim. Ariadne remembered this from Cobb's dream.

Arthur sighed, this was it, the moment of truth. Would the man he worked with and became good friends with approve of him and Ari? He knew that Cobb would have a lot to say, but he wasn't sure how he would handle the whole situation. After all, Arthur did lie and break his rule about not making contact with anyone until a week after the job. He flat out broke that rule with both Ariadne, and now Dom.

Ariadne watched Arthur carefully, she could see the nervousness and worry in his eyes, if only for a brief second.

"Here goes nothing." He mumbled as he knocked on the door.

Arthur and Ariadne heard some screaming and giggling coming from inside the house. Ariadne smiled, knowing that it must be James and Philippa. The door creaked open carefully and Dom looked out, a small smile playing on his lips as he saw the two standing awkwardly and nervously.

"Come in you two." Dom motioned for them to enter. Arthur motioned for Ariadne to go first and followed her, shutting the door behind them.

"James! Philippa! Look who's here!" Dom called for his children. They ran into the living room and squealed when they saw Arthur.

"Uncle Arthur!" They both ran to him and latched onto both of his legs. He laughed and tried walking with them still hanging on.

"Hey guys. How have you two been? James! You're getting so big!" Arthur patted his head and smiled.

"Yeah! Daddy is back! And now you are too!" James excitedly responded and clung tighter to his leg. Philippa giggled.

"Uncle Artie, where have you been? Did you bring us presents?" She asked, giving him the puppy eyes.

"Philippa. It's rude to ask for presents like that." Dom scolded her.

"No, it's ok. You think I would come without bringing you two anything?" Arthur asked, pretending to be insulted.

"Yay! Presents!" They both exclaimed and let go of Arthur's legs, running in circles and following him to the table, where he placed his bag and pulled out two stuffed animals.

"Thank you Uncle Arthur!" They gave him a hug and a kiss before turning to Dom and showing him their new toys.

"That's very nice of you." Ariadne whispered, and smiled. Arthur blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I've known them since they were born. I'm actually their godfather." He shyly replied.

"Kids, you are being rude to our new guest. Have you said hi to her?" Dom asked them, raising his eyebrow.

They both shyly looked at Ariadne and hid behind Dom. James peered out from behind Dom's leg and eyed her warily. Philippa stared at Ariadne with wide eyes.

"Go on, say hi." Dom encouraged.

"Hi." James and Philippa whispered shyly, stepping from behind Dom and walking next to Arthur, who was closer to Ariadne.

"Hi guys." Ariadne knelt down to look them in the eye. "I'm a friend of your dad and Arthur."

"You're friends with Uncle Arthur?" James asked curiously. Ariadne nodded and stood up.

"Then why are you holding his hand?" Philippa pointed to their entwined fingers and Ariadne blushed.

"Yeah. Mommy and daddy held hands." James stated matter of factly.

Dom chuckled and interrupted the awkward moment.

"Alright guys. Go play with your new toys. I'll call you later and you can come and play with Uncle Arthur and Ariadne."

"By Ari!" Philippa waved and ran to the other room.

"So…" Dom stared at them curiously.

"Yeah, well we just wanted to talk." Arthur told him, his face flushing just a little bit.

"So talk." Dom encouraged.

"Could we sit down?" Arthur nervously asked.

"No." Cobb said then grinned. "Of course you can. Jeez. Lighten up guys."

Arthur and Ariadne relaxed at Dom's joke. They followed him to the couch and sat across from him.

"So what's up?"

"Well…we just wanted advice on how to keep our personal life separate from work." Ariadne started.

"Yeah, with what happened with you and Mal, we know that we can trust your judgment and advice. We don't want to get lost in the dream world and lose each other." Arthur said, looking from Ariadne to Cobb.

"Well first off, no PDA at work. No one wants to see that." Dom's face was so serious they couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Ariadne blushed, thinking about the stolen kiss between her and Arthur in the second level of the dream.

"Let's get more serious here shall we?" Arthur rolled his eyes and Dom chuckled.

"Lighten up. But on a serious note, all I can tell you is don't go dreaming together for fun. That's how it all started with Mal and I. If you go for pleasure, then there is a high risk of losing track of reality. And seeing that you two really do care for each other, be careful. I would even suggest that if you take more jobs to not let Ariadne go in to the dream with you."

"What?" Ariadne quickly snapped.

"I'm just giving you my advice." Dom raised his hands.

Ariadne sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. She should know the most about what happens when the line between reality and dreams blurred.

"I'm sure you both knew this already." Dom asked and both nodded. "Then why did you need to talk to me?"

"I just wanted to make sure you approved." Arthur whispered and looked down, embarrassed.

Dom nodded in realization. Arthur wanted his approval and by the look on Ariadne's face, she did too.

"You guys don't need my approval…but I do give it to you. I just want you two to be careful…and _safe_." A small smile was forming on his face as Ariadne and Arthur's head snapped up.

"Safe?" Ariadne couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. Safe. You know, when two people love each other very much they…"

"STOP!" Ariadne's face was as red as an apple and Arthur was glaring at Cobb. Dom just laughed and stood up.

"You guys are so fun to tease." Dom patted Arthur on the back and kissed Ariadne on top of the head. "And you are always welcome here, for anything. How about some lunch?"

"Lunch would be nice, thank you." Ariadne replied for the both of them.


	6. The Good and the Bad

**Yay! Next chapter! I'm glad you all like this story. It's a little more fluffy than others and the characters are pretty out of character in my opinion, but that's the beauty of Fanfiction. Anyways, here is the next chapter...it starts off cute, but this is where the drama begins...enough of the fluff...it's time for the consequences of Ariadne and Arthur's decisions to come into play...read and review! Oh and sorry for the long wait in updates...I am writing two Fanfics, one for NCIS and this one, and on top of that I have classes at the community college as well as volunteering as a leader at youth group...so I'm super busy...enough of my babbling...enjoy, read, and review!  
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**I don't own Inception...but maybe someday...not...*sigh* Oh well...**

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Ariadne was surprised, she didn't' think Dom could cook, but boy could he cook. She smiled as she watched Arthur play with the kids. She hadn't thought about what Dom's kids were to him. She remembered asking him about Mal, and he told her she was lovely.

When he told her that, a small tinge of jealousy hit her, but she pushed it back. She knew that Arthur didn't think of her that way, and by the way he treated Dom and Mal's kids, she could understand what he meant by that. Dom was like a brother to Arthur, and she could see it in his eyes, and Mal was like a sister.

As she watched Arthur, she remembered the sad, but thoughtful look in his eyes when he said lovely. Ariadne now knew that she had nothing to be jealous of.

Loud giggles brought her out of her reverie and she looked at James and Philippa running from Arthur, screaming and hiding under the table. Ariadne chuckled as Cobb walked towards her.

"He's always been good with them. With kids…" He trailed off, smiling as he watched the scene play out in front of him.

"I never thought of him as the children type." Ariadne admitted, her eyes never leaving Arthur.

"Yeah, neither did I, but when James and Philippa were born he was one of the first people to hold them. Shocked everyone." Dom chuckled.

"Dom, what was his family like?" Ariadne asked curiously. She knew she should be asking Arthur, but she didn't think he would tell her. She noticed Cobb tense slightly and frowned.

"That's something you should ask him about. It's not my place to tell you." Dom turned to her and noticed the frightened look in her eyes.

"Is it bad?" She whispered.

"It's not bad, he's just had a…a hard life to put it simply." Dom answered, sighing and turning back to where Arthur and the kdis were. "You should ask him though. It may take time for him, but he'll tell you when he's ready."

Ariadne nodded and turned back to look at Arthur. She couldn't hold back the smile that was threatening to show and she chuckled when James came out of nowhere and jumped on top of Arthur.

Dom shook his head and walked over to where they were playing, Ariadne followed closely, not wanting to interrupt the beautiful moment.

"I gotcha Uncle Artie!" James laughed as he clasped tightly onto Arthur's neck. Philippa ran up to Arthur and jumped onto his back too.

"Yeah we got you!" She exclaimed.

"Oh no! How can I possibly escape now?" Arthur dramatically asked, falling onto the floor. The laughter became louder and soon James and Philippa were flipping him over so that he was lying on his back.

"Uncle Artie, are you ticklish?" James asked curiously, his hand moving to tickle him.

Philippa grinned, a mischievous smirk soon taking over her features. She climbed on top of Arthur and both of them began tickling him. Arthur, not ticklish at first just laid there, but when James and Philippa found his ticklish spot, he flinched and pulled away. The two kids, knowing they found his weak spot, swarmed to him and began tickling him furiously.

Arthur started laughing, unable to hold back his laughter any longer and he rolled on the floor. Ariadne grinned, and quickly joined James and Philippa.

"Don't you dare, Ariadne!" Arthur warned her playfully. Ariadne just ignored it and helped pin him down.

"Attack!" James and Philippa both shrieked as they tickled Arthur. Ariadne quickly joined in and laughed as a squirming Arthur begged for help.

"Dom! Get your kids off of me!" He said in between gasps and laughs. Dom just laughed, but looked at the clock.

"Alright kids! It's getting late! Time for bed!" Dom picked up James, how began pouting.

"Just five more minutes daddy." Philippa begged.

"Yeah, please daddy." James stuck out his bottom lip and gave him the puppy eyes.

"Nope, that's not gonna work. Come on kids."

"Fine." Philippa sighed. "Goodnight Uncle Artie! Auntie Ari! See you in the morning!"

"Goodnight!" Arthur and Ariadne both responded from the floor. Once the kids were out of sight, Ariadne turned to Arthur and grinned.

"So you're ticklish huh? That's good to know, I can use that later." Ariadne whispered mischievously.

"Do it, and you'll pay." Arthur warned, but it was too late, Ariadne was tickling him and he was squirming. He quickly flipped them over, pinning her so that she couldn't tickle him anymore.

"I'm warning you now. Don't. Do. It." Arthur said, leaning in close, and whispering to her. His breath was tickling her nose and she just stared at him. Arthur stopped moving and stared at her too, the moment just became more serious.

His eyes never left hers and he leaned in slowly, allowing her to move her head forward to meet him for the kiss. Their kiss was slow and chaste. They wanted to savor this sweet moment, and knowing that this was a house full of kids, they wanted to make sure things stayed appropriate.

Arthur pulled back, his eyes still closed, but Ariadne pulled him forward again. It wasn't until they heard a cough that they broke apart, separating themselves from each other.

Dom had his eyebrows raised and watched as the two scrambled up onto the couch, keeping a good two feet away from each other. Dom had to suppress a chuckle, seeing the two acting like teenagers.

"So I got the guest room ready for you. Unfortunately our other one doesn't have a bed, or any space in it, so you'll have to share a room." Dom told them, eyeing Arthur.

"Yeah, that's fine." Ariadne quickly replied, and stood up. "I'm actually really tired, so I'm going to go to bed…umm, Dom? Do you have a change of clothes or something I could borrow? I don't have any with me right now. Just something to sleep in would be nice."

"Yeah, sure." He replied, getting up and disappearing into the hallway, coming back a few minutes later with a pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt.

"Here." Dom said, handing the clothes to her.

"Were these…?" Ariadne asked only to be cut off by Dom.

"Yes. They were Mal's. So the pants will be long, but it's better than sleeping in jeans." Dom quickly answered and shrugged.

"Thanks." Ariadne murmured and headed to the guest room. "Goodnight." She called over her shoulder and closed the door softly.

Arthur sighed and eyed Dom warily. He was expecting Dom to tease him some more or lecture him, instead Dom's gaze turned serious and a look of panic entered his features.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, alarmed.

"There's been a black Mercedes parked across the street all day. I'm started to feel a little suspicious. Were you followed?" He asked, worried.

"No, we weren't. I didn't see any cars following us. Shoot. Dom I'm sorry, we shouldn't have come." Arthur stood up and walked to the window, glancing out and seeing the Mercedes parked.

"No, don't worry about it, but if the car isn't gone in the morning, I'm going to have to take the kids somewhere safe. It could be Cobol Engineering or Fischer's men. We can't be too careful…and here I thought it was over for good." Dom sighed and rubbed his face.

"I really am sorry. If only I followed my rules. I screwed up, but it won't happen again. Next time I'll make sure to pay more attention." Arthur turned to Dom who looked panicked.

"Stay with Ariadne. And I'm going to stay with the kids. If anything unusual or suspicious happens, call my cell. We'll work something out if we have to. And only shoot if you have to." Dom whispered the last part, glancing at the closed doors.

Arthur just nodded and walked to the guest room. Dom quickly threw a pair of pajamas at him.

"Sleep comfortably." Dom said. Arthur smiled and nodded, closing the door behind him. He found Ariadne sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around her legs.

"Are there really people out there?" She whispered, tears forming.

"Yes, but we can't know for sure that they're here for us." Arthur told her, sitting down next to her and wrapping his arms around her. Ariadne sniffled and cuddled closer to him.

"We can't let anything happen to Dom and the kids, we can't." She cried softly, slowly falling asleep.

Arthur silent promised to take care of Ariadne and Dom and his family. He wouldn't let his screw up mess up the lives of those he loved. Sighing, he pulled the covers over both of them and drifted off into a dreamless sleep, hoping that the black Mercedes would be gone in the morning.

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**So what did you think? Leave a review!**


	7. The Escape

**New chapter! Woo! Thanks for all the reviews and alerts. It's so exciting and encouraging to see that people are enjoying this story. It is a little different than others I have read and a lot fluffier, but things are starting to get intense now...what will happen? So anyways, here is the next chapter, sorry for the long wait, but school is busy and life has been its usual self preventing me from writing this sooner. But I finally decided to make time and here we are. Let me know what you think!**

**As much as I want to own Inception, I don't...Christopher Nolan is too much of a genius for our own good...haha...and if I could I would own Arthur, or better yet Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Unfortunately none of these are going to happen...oh well.  


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Arthur's eyes fluttered open slowly. The events of last night quickly coming to mind. His eyes quickly focused and he looked around, finding Ariadne still sleeping, clinging onto him. He sighed. It was going to be quite an ordeal if that Mercedes was still parked outside.

He didn't want to wake Ariadne up, but he needed to check outside. Slowly prying her arms from him, he sat up and wrapped the blanket around her, giving her a kiss on the forehead before briskly making his way to the window. He peered through the blinds, and sure enough the car was still there.

Arthur cursed under his breath, knowing that this meant they'd have to move everyone to a new location to keep them safe. He grabbed his suitcase and jumbled through his clothes, not caring that everything was being thrown out of order. Quickly putting on his usual three-piece suit he quietly exited the room in search of Dom.

He found Dom sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. Arthur frowned, feeling guilty.

"Dom." He quietly said, looking around to make sure James and Philippa weren't near.

Dom's head snapped up and he looked at Arthur warily. His gaze moved to the rooms behind Arthur.

"Sleep well?" Dom asked. Arthur gave a slight nod, ready to just jump into the situation at hand.

"The Mercedes is still there." Arthur got straight to the point.

"I know. We're going to have to leave today. It's not safe here." Dom whispered, not wanting the kids to hear.

"Is it our fault?" Ariadne's small voice came from behind Arthur and both men turned to look at her.

"No. It's not. They could have followed me home. It's not your fault Ariadne." Dom tried to assure her.

Tears were in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Dom. And after you just got your kids back."

"Ari. It's not our fault. We know our dangers. We just hoped that Saito would have cleared the price on our heads." Arthur told her, gently grasping her shoulders and giving them a squeeze.

"Arthur's right. We've been all over the place and angered many people. It could be anyone. And it's not your fault. I was too caught up in getting back to the kids that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. It could easily have been my fault." Dom said, standing.

Arthur watched Ariadne carefully. Her face seemed to be more relaxed and there were only faint traces of tears on them now. He pulled her in for a hug and turned to Dom.

"So what do we do?" Ariadne mumbled into Arthur's chest.

"We pack up and leave." Dom said, moving towards the small hallway closet and pulling out three suitcases. "Be quick. Arthur call Eames and check up on him. We need to make sure we're not just paranoid. If it's just us then it might not be an issue, but if Eames has been followed, we have reason to be concerned."

Arthur pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and ushered Ariadne into the bedroom.

"Pack up. Hurry." He told her as the phone rang. Ariadne obliged and quickly threw her things into the bag, zipping it up and doing the same with Arthur's suitcase.

"Hello Darling." Eames booming voice came from the other line.

"Eames. Have you been followed?" Arthur cut to the chase, not wanting to deal with Eames' childish antics at the moment.

"Well so much for small talk. Come to think about it there has been this peculiar black Beamer parked outside of the hotel for the past two days. I hadn't thought much of it until now. Why do you ask? Were you followed?" Eames asked, his voice having a hint of accusation in it.

"Yes. We have a black Mercedes parked across the street from us." Arthur told him, nodding at Ariadne to grab the bags and follow him.

"Us? Who's with you?" Eames asked.

"Cobb, the kids, and Ariadne." Arthur stated quickly turning into the kitchen to find Dom with the kids, their bags, and a gun hidden in his jacket.

"Are you insane love? Why the hell are you with them? What happened to the no contact rule you so strictly told us to follow?" Eames raised his voice, unbelief and amusement hidden in it.

"I know, I screwed up. But that's beside the point." Arthur avoided answering Eames, knowing that he would get an earful from him.

"It's about Ariadne huh? You finally decided to take a risk and be with a girl for once? I do say she is rather lovely. I was going to make a move on her if you didn't. And don't think I didn't see that little kiss you two shared in the hotel lobby. I have eyes everywhere." Eames was rambling on, having too much fun picking on Arthur.

"Eames, can we not do this now." Arthur growled.

"Sure thing darling. But tell me what's going on now."

Arthur turned to Dom and raised his eyebrows in question. Dom sighed and looked at Ariadne pleadingly. Ariadne nodded and turned to James and Philippa.

"Hey James, Philippa, why don't we go to your rooms really quick. We can pick out a few toys for the trip." She told them, holding out her hands for them. They nodded vigorously and took her hands, happily leading her to their rooms.

"Give me the phone." Dom told Arthur. Arthur tossed his phone to him and glanced back at Ariadne's retreating form and frowned.

"Eames. We're going to meet at our presumed spot." Dom told him and Arthur's head snapped up. He knew that they only went there if there was an absolute emergency. Dom ignored the look Arthur gave him and listened to Eames.

"What? Is it that serious? Who do you think is following us?" Eames shouting voice could be heard from the phone and Arthur raised his brows.

Dom sighed. "I don't know, but if we're not the only ones being followed, this could be serious." Dom rubbed his face and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well then I better contact Yusuf. Did either of you bother to check up on him?" Eames was angry and Dom knew it.

"No, we haven't had time. We just found out last night. This morning the car was still there and thought to call you first. We'll let you contact Yusuf and when we meet we'll get a hold of Saito." Dom tried to calm Eames down, but knew he had a right to be angry.

"Alright. I'll see you soon." Eames said before hanging up. Dom tossed Arthur his phone back and called for Ariadne and the kids. They came out giggling and Dom couldn't help but smile.

Ariadne walked up to Arthur, a questioning look in her eye.

_Later_.He mouthed. Ariadne nodded and turned to Dom and the kids.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Ariadne asked.

"Yes!" James and Philippa squealed and Dom simply nodded.

"Follow me." He said as he picked up the bags and carefully maneuvered around James and Philippa.

Ariadne grabbed Arthur's hand, lacing their fingers together. She needed some reassurance and comfort. He sensed that and squeezed her hand. Having slung both their bags over his shoulder he slumped a little to the left.

"Coming?" Dom called from the garage.

"Yeah, we'll be right there!" Arthur called back, pulling Ariadne. They walked into the garage to find a dark blue Ford Expedition. Dom was moving James and Philippa's car seats to the last row, allowing room for Ariadne in the middle row.

"Throw your stuff in the back." Dom ordered and put James and Philippa in the back seat, making sure their car seats were secure.

Ariadne slid into the middle row sitting in the middle seat so she could see where they were heading.

"Where's the presumed meeting spot?" Ariadne asked Arthur quietly.

"We'll talk about this once we're driving. We have to make sure the house isn't bugged or anything. Be patient." Arthur whispered. He glanced back at his godchildren and frowned. They were too young to have to live the life of fugitives. He hoped that things would get resolved soon.

Ariadne followed his gaze and sighed. "They'll be fine. We'll make sure of it. Don't beat yourself up."

"I know, but I want to protect them. They shouldn't have to live this life. They look a lot like Mal. They have Dom's hair, but their faces have Mal written all over them." Arthur said, his eyes and voice soft.

Ariadne nodded, not sure of what to say. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. Tears forming in her eyes again she pulled away and looked down.

"Hey." Arthur grabbed her chin gently and pulled her face up so her eyes met his. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about all of us, about you. I don't want anything to happen to you. I don't know what I'd do." Ariadne's voice cracked.

"I won't let anything happen to me either." Arthur told her, but Ariadne shook her head.

"You can't promise me that."

"But I am." Arthur insisted. Ariadne sniffled and nodded. The genuine look in his eyes encouraged her. She kissed him again, this time with more urgency. He pulled away as Dom jumped into the driver's seat.

"Alright, we're going to have to abandon the car. When we get to the airport make sure to stay close and move quickly. Arthur you might need to call Saito and ask for him to let us use his airline so we can have privacy."

Arthur nodded and pulled out his phone, quickly doing as he was told. Dom pulled out of the driveway and Ariadne buckled up, watching the two men anxiously.

"So much for getting back to a normal life." She heard Dom mutter. Ariadne frowned and turned to Arthur who had just hung up the phone.

"Everything's clear. He said to stay safe and he'll keep in contact with us." Arthur informed them.

"Ok. So who's going to tell me where we're heading." Ariadne couldn't take it anymore and asked.

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**So things are getting intense now! Uh oh! Haha...I have to add some drama, but I drama adds to the excitement. Oh! And if you have any suggestions on where their "presumed meeting spot" is please let me know. I still need to figure it out to be honest. I'm not sure where I want them to go...so yeah leave a review with your suggestion! Reviews make me happy and encourage me to write...**


	8. The Plans

**Hehe! I just had to get another chapter up. I really wanted to update this. So here is the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! I probably won't get another chance to update soon, but who knows maybe inspiration will hit me again! Reviews help with that! *hint hint* Anyways, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it.**

**I dreamt that I owned Inception...then I woke up and was greatly disappointed...*sadface*

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Arthur looked at Cobb, silently questioning if now was the time to tell Ariadne where they could possibly be spending the next few months.

Dom nodded sharply and Arthur exhaled. They were extremely cautious about telling people where they picked their hideout, and even though Ariadne was part of the team, the less people that new the better. It was safer that way.

Arthur turned around in his seat and faced Ariadne. He snuck a glance and James and Philippa, who were now sleeping.

"Before I tell you, you have to know that we don't tell many people. We think it's safer this way. If anyone were to…were to get to you, they could easily extract that information from you. Dom, Eames, and I are the only ones who know the exact location. Yusuf doesn't know, but Eames will bring him if he feels there is a threat." Arthur informed her, still not telling her the location.

"Alright. So where are we going exactly?" Ariadne asked impatiently. She knew the risks, but she hated being left in the dark.

"Italy." Arthur stated.

"Where in Italy? Gosh Arthur! Just spill it already." Ariadne was growing more impatient by the minute.

"Ventimiglia, Italy. It's a little town in Northern Italy." Arthur whispered.

"Why Italy?" Ariadne asked. She saw Cobb tense and Arthur quickly glanced at him.

"Dom and Mal had always wanted to spend time there, but since they didn't get the chance to, they decided that if there were ever an emergency that would be the place to go." Arthur quickly told her, trying to move on from the subject.

Ariadne nodded and stole another glance and Dom. He seemed to have relaxed and his gaze wasn't as hard.

"We're going to have to make a stop. We need to get fake passports and ID's. Arthur, the kids, and I already have ours, but we need to get you yours. However, since you aren't used to this, it may pose as a problem." Dom told her. Ariadne looked curiously at Dom and Arthur.

"What do you mean?" Ariadne shook her head, trying to understand.

"Arthur's going to help you come up with an alias, but you are going to have to pretend to be Arthur's wife." Dom told her. Both Arthur and Ariadne's head snapped up in surprise.

"What?" Arthur asked urgently.

"But I don't have any rings. Neither does Arthur." Ariadne reasoned nervously.

"Which is why we need to hurry up and make a few stops then."

Arthur just nodded and looked at Ariadne. She was blushing and looking at her left hand. Arthur imagined a shiny engagement ring with a matching wedding band on her finger and smiled, a blush slowly threatening to climb up from his neck to his cheeks.

"What kind of ring would you like?" Arthur asked shyly.

"I don't know. I never really thought about rings much. But I don't like gold. I'd prefer platinum." Ariadne whispered warily.

Arthur smiled. "Ok. I'll get us a matching set."

"I can help pay for it Arthur, you don't have to."

"No, I'll buy. Don't worry about it." Arthur cut her off. Ariadne sighed and nodded. Meanwhile Dom was listening to the exchange with a smirk.

Dom quickly stopped at a jewelry store and waited as Arthur and Ariadne quickly made their way in, not taking longer than ten minutes inside.

"Let me see." Dom requested. Ariadne held out her hand, her face flushed. Dom gently took hold of her hand and turned it so he could look at the ring carefully.

"Arthur picked it out." Ariadne bashfully informed him.

"He has good taste." Dom grinned. "Nice wedding bands too. I like them. Now we need to get our passports and ID's. After that we can head to the airport."

"Dom, the Mercedes has been trailing us for a while." Arthur anxiously told him.

"I know. I was hoping the last stop would throw them off, but we're going to have to lose them at the airport." Dom grunted.

Dom pulled onto an old battered road hoping to lose the Mercedes. He quickly made a few turns before coming onto a dirt road. The dirt road slowly turned into a narrow paved road, and Ariadne watched as a small warehouse came into view. Dom pulled into a garage and Arthur quickly got out, calling for Ariadne to follow him.

"We need to create and alias for you. Well for us. You'll just have to take the same last name as me. I don't know if we need to change your first name or not." Arthur mumbled more to himself than to her.

"Are your names different?" Ariadne meekly asked.

"No. We keep our first names, we only change our middle and last names. It keeps it easier for us. That way we don't call each other by a wrong name or confuse each other."

"Then I want to keep my first name." Ariadne said defiantly.

"Alright." Arthur knocked on a door and it was slowly opened, a short middle-aged man peeking through suspiciously.

"Arthur! My boy what are you doing here?" The man exclaimed in his heavily Italian accent.

"Alessandro! It's great to see you again, but we need your help. We need to get those passports and ID's from you. And we need to make some for her." Arthur motioned for Ariadne to join him, pulling her close to him and lacing his arm around her waist.

"You are in trouble? What kind of trouble? And who is this beautiful young lady Arthur?" Alessandro asked, his face sullen.

"It's a long story. We don't have time. We just need the kids' passports, ID's, birth certificates, as well as Dom's and mine. Can you make hers?" Arthur anxiously asked, his grip on Ariadne tightening slightly.

Alessandro nodded and made his way to a small closet. He quickly made his way back with Arthur, Dom, and the kids' fake documents and briskly walked towards Ariadne, pulling her to follow him. Arthur nodded and followed.

Ariadne looked around curiously at all of the strange machinery surrounding her. Not knowing what any of them did, she sighed and looked at Arthur, her eyes wide with fear.

"Alright, Ariadne. Look over here. Smile!" Alessandro instructed her, and she did as she was told. Within minutes Alessandro had her picture printed and was in the process of making Ariadne's passport and ID.

"What will your name be?" He asked, and Arthur came up to him.

"Ariadne Giordano." Arthur told Alessandro, holding up his left hand revealing his ring. "We'll also need a marriage certificate."

"Ah! Congratulations Arthur!" Alessandro grabbed Arthur and kissed both of his cheeks and gave him a huge hug.

Ariadne giggled and Arthur chuckled nervously. Alessandro then proceeded to do the same with Ariadne.

"What a lucky man you are Arthur!" Alessandro exclaimed and entered all of Ariadne's details.

"Age?"

"23." Ariadne replied.

"Height?"

Ariadne blushed. "5'1" Arthur chuckled softly and Ariadne glared at him.

"Birthday?"

"February 21st, 1987." She answered.

Alessandro quickly typed everything she told him and stole glances at Arthur, who was watching with an amused expression.

"So Italian huh? Can't get enough of Italy and its beauty?" Alessandro asked Arthur while he printed Ariadne's passport and ID.

Arthur blushed and nodded. "It's beautiful, and while we're there it will be a nice honeymoon spot. Despite the circumstances."

Ariadne turned bright pink at the sound of a honeymoon. She turned to Arthur her eyes wide and blushed deeper when she realized he was holding her gaze.

"We better head out Alessandro. Thank you for everything." Arthur gave him a hug and pulled Ariadne with him, being sure to grab everything.

Dom was waiting in the car impatiently. "What took you so long? Time is scarce right now. We need to get a move on. Did you get everything?" Dom asked, but noticed the odd look the couple was giving each other.

"Uh huh." Arthur mumbled, handing Dom the envelope with all of their documents. Dom shook his head and looked through the papers. Dom's new alias would be Dominic Oliaro, his children would also be taking up the last name. He double checked the documents to make sure all of them had the same names and information and nodded, placing all of the documents back into the envelope.

He then pulled out of the garage, scanned the area and took off when he was satisfied the Mercedes wasn't anywhere near them.

The airport was chaotic and having to maneuver kids through the airport proved quite the task. Dom had told Arthur and Ariadne to stick together and get on the plane together. Dom and the kids would meet them on there.

"You ok?" Arthur asked, once they made it onto the plane.

"Yeah. Just…I don't know, scared I guess." Ariadne murmured looking at him. Arthur nodded and pulled her closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, listening to his breathing.

"I'll keep you safe. I promise." Arthur whispered into her hair, lacing their fingers together, liking the feel of metal touching metal.

Ariadne sighed contently and looked up when she heard giggles coming from behind her. She smiled as she saw James and Philippa clinging onto Dom's neck as he carried them onto the plane. The small family sat across from the new "married" couple.

"Here we go." Dom muttered to Arthur and Ariadne.

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**So I have this weird obsession with Italy and the French language...strange combination I know...so I decided that they would go to Italy...and have Italian names as well as an Italian friend. By the way Alessandro apparently means defender of mankind, and I found it appropriate since he is defending Dom, Arthur, Ariadne, and the kids by creating aliases for them... :) I also have a friend who's name is Dom Oliaro...so I borrowed his last name...and well Cobb and he already share a first name ;) Review please!**


	9. The Arrival

**Hehe...so I got another chapter up...what can I say? I really love this story and it's so fun to write. This one is longer, a lot longer, so I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you think. Reviews are my favorite things to get when I check my email! So review like crazy. I want to know what you think, especially if I'm doing something right or wrong. So I need to get feedback. And suggestions are always welcome. There will be times when I hit a dead end and need inspiration...so let me know what you think. I do have an idea where I want this to go, but things can change...**

**I still don't own Inception...no matter how much I keep telling myself that, it doesn't change. Maybe if I performed Inception on Christopher Nolan...ha! who am I kidding?

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The flight was long and boring. Half way through the flight James and Philippa started fussing and Dom had to take them on a short walk.

Arthur had noticed that Ariadne was tense and not saying a word, which was unusual for her usually curious self.

"Ari?" Arthur asked and watched as her head snapped up and she met his gaze.

"Hmm?"

"You ok?" Arthur was rubbing her arm comfortingly, trying to coax anything out of her that she may be holding in.

"I'm fine, just thinking." Ariadne sighed, shifting slightly and looking out the window.

"About?" Arthur urged, knowing full well that she's about to burst any second.

"Everything. Dom and his kids. Us. Eames and Yusuf. What's going to happen when we land? How long are we going to be in hiding." Ariadne listed and looked down at her hands. She was afraid. Both of them knew it.

"Ari. Ari look at me." Arthur commanded gently. Ariadne looked at him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.

"I'm going to keep you safe. I promise you." Arthur assured her.

"But what if you can't? What if something goes wrong? And what about everyone else? We're all at risk here Arthur. Not just me, or you, or Dom…but all of us. Even his kids are in danger. How are we supposed to avoid something from happening to them?" Ariadne argued, tears slowly rolling down her pale cheeks.

Arthur pulled Ariadne in for a hug and wiped her tears away. He kissed the top of her head and gently massaged her back, hoping to calm her down and make her feel safe.

Dom walked back quietly, holding Philippa's hand and carrying James. He noticed Ariadne's tear stained face and looked at Arthur questioningly. Arthur shook his head and sighed.

"Auntie Ari? Why are you crying? Don't be sad." Philippa said, gently climbing onto her lap and giving her a hug.

"I'm ok Philippa, just a little tired." Ariadne assured the little girl and hugged her back, holding her against her chest. Arthur smiled and looked at Dom who was watching with soft eyes.

James looked at his sister and Ariadne and began squirming. He wanted to sit with Auntie Ari and Uncle Artie. Dom shook his head and set James down, who immediately jumped onto Arthur's lap.

"Oomph!" Arthur grunted as James' weight landed on him. James stared at his sister and Ariadne.

"Uncle Artie? How much longer til we get there?" James whispered looking at Arthur with big curious eyes.

"Soon. It shouldn't be longer than three hours." Arthur told him, gently holding onto him.

"Three hours!" James whined. "Why so long? Why can't we be there already?"

"I'm sorry buddy, why don't you take a nap, it will help time to go by faster." Arthur suggested just as James emitted a yawn. Arthur and Dom chuckled. James curled up against Arthur and quickly fell asleep. Arthur turned to look at Ariadne and found that both she and Philippa had fallen asleep. Ariadne's head was resting on Arthur's shoulder.

"You guys are good with children." Dom stated. Arthur shrugged awkwardly and looked at Dom. "You think you two will have kids?" Arthur's startled expression made Dom laugh.

"I uh, we, we're not even really married." Arthur stuttered in defense.

"That marriage certificate says differently." Dom reasoned.

"It's a fake marriage certificate Dom." Arthur stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes, but you would have asked her eventually right?" Dom asked and held Arthur's gaze. He watched as many emotions flashed across his friend's face.

"Yes." Arthur finally said and looked at Ariadne, a small smile forming on his lips.

"See, so you might as well take advantage of that now." Dom answered, ignoring the glare he got from Arthur.

"It's too complicated right now." Arthur sighed and shook his head, carefully shifting James' weight.

"Is it? Mal and I went through a lot when she was pregnant with both James and Philippa. You could do it if you want to." Dom reasoned.

"Yes, but does she want to? And we just got 'married.' Shouldn't we wait a while?" Arthur asked, his gaze falling back on Ariadne.

Dom nodded, knowing full well the changes that come with having kids. He smiled though, he knew that Arthur and Ariadne could do it if they wanted to.

"I'm not saying to have kids now, but consider it. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. But you're right, things are…complicated, difficult. Wait it out and have a real wedding someday." Dom patted Arthur on the shoulder softly. He sat back down and closed his eyes, falling into a deep dreamless sleep.

Arthur closed his eyes too and was soon overtaken by slumber. He opened his eyes an hour later to find both James and Philippa back with Dom, playing with him. He turned to look at Ariadne, who was still sleeping, and smiled.

Just as he was about to get up, the 'fasten your seatbelts' light turned on and Arthur grumbled. Dom chuckled and buckled in his two children.

Ariadne's eyes fluttered open just before landing and she looked around her confused. Arthur took her hand and squeezed it, reminding her of his presence. She smiled and let her head fall back onto his shoulder.

Philippa insisted on being carried by Ariadne. She wanted to stay with her Auntie. Dom consented and grinned. Arthur followed close behind, not letting either of them out of his sight. They were still vulnerable; until they made it to Ventimiglia they wouldn't be safe. And even when they arrived in the small town, they still weren't guaranteed full safety.

"We should hear from Eames soon." Dom told Arthur, clutching James close to him and grabbing their bags from baggage claim. Arthur nodded and picked up his and Ariadne's bags. Ariadne walked over to where the men were and looked at them curiously.

"How far away is it?" She finally asked, but both Arthur and Dom knew what she was really trying to ask.

_When will we be safe?_

"About another hour or so." Dom informed her and motioned for them to get a taxi.

"We'll have to get off about ten minutes out of Ventimiglia just to make sure no one knows where we are." Arthur whispered into Ariadne's ear. She nodded and followed Dom outside. They quickly hailed a taxi and told the driver their destination. The drive was a quiet one, none of them wanting to tip off the driver in case he was a spy.

They arrived outside of Ventimiglia forty-five minutes later. Each of them carrying a bag. Ariadne looked around her with wide eyes. It was so beautiful and she had never been to Italy before. She decided that while it was a bad situation, she would make some good out of it. Arthur watched her, fascinated with her awe and beauty.

Ariadne caught him looking at her and blushed, turning her head the other way admiring the landscape.

_If only I could see some Architecture._ She thought longingly.

In no time they had reached the town, and Dom carefully guided them through it. Ariadne took in everything: the grass, the buildings, the people, and the beauty of it all. Arthur took her hand again, their rings making a small clink when they touched.

Ariadne smiled, she never got tired of that noise, but it got her thinking about what it meant for them. She looked at Arthur, a confused and pained expression on her face. Arthur raised his eyebrows and panic overtook his features.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, suddenly alarmed and worried.

Ariadne shook her head. "Later." She whispered. Arthur sighed and kept following Dom.

After what seemed like many twists and turns Dom stopped and stared at the building in front of him.

"We're here." He said, turning to Ariadne and Arthur. Ariadne gaped at the sight in front of her. The house looked nothing like she expected it to. In fact, it looked like it didn't even belong in this old town.

It was a two-story house painted white with green trim. It looked as if it were maybe five years old at the latest and there was a white picket fence around the front. A small yard was located to the right of the house, a small swing set and sand box carefully placed in the yard. Ariadne shook her head. This definitely was not what she was expected.

Arthur chuckled. "Not what you were expecting?" Ariadne just shook her head, still in disbelief. "Come on." Arthur pulled her towards the house. The kids ran in front of Dom and laughed as they made their way to the yard.

"Daddy come push me!" James called as he climbed on the swing.

"Just a second James!" Dom replied, quickly turning to Arthur. Arthur nodded and grabbed Dom and the kids' bags.

"I'll take our stuff inside and get us settled into our rooms." Arthur told Dom as he watched him walk towards his kids.

"Wow, this is…so beautiful." Ariadne finally managed to say.

"Yeah, we didn't want something that looked sketchy or suspicious. We figured why not get a nice town home that looks much smaller on the outside than the inside. Come on, I'll show you around." Arthur led her into the house.

Ariadne looked around. There were hardwood floors at the entrance and in the kitchen, light brown carpet in all of the bedrooms, and tan tile in the bathrooms. The house had two bedrooms on the first floor, and one on the second floor. Arthur quickly made his way to a door and nodded for Ariadne to follow him.

"This way." Arthur said.

"Where…" Ariadne trailed off as he opened the door to reveal a set of stairs going down.

"This is where we actually will be living and sleeping. The top is for show." Arthur explained as he made his way down the stairs, carrying the bags. In the basement there were four bedrooms and three bathrooms, a small kitchen, a tiny living room, and a large family room.

"Wow. So this is the hideout. What exactly will be upstairs?" Ariadne asked, still amazed by everything.

"Well we'll be up there when or if people come and visit. We'll have decoy rooms set up so that it looks like we're living up there, but in reality we'll be down here."

"Who came up with this idea?"

"Mal." Arthur answered, turning right into the first room, which was huge and had three beds. He set down Dom's bags and closed the door.

"Wow. She was brilliant." Ariadne whispered, slowly making her way to another room. Arthur walked into the kitchen and turned on a light as Ariadne explored her new home.

"Arthur?" Ariadne called from the farthest room to the back.

"Yes?" Arthur followed her voice and entered the room.

"Is this our room?" Ariadne shyly asked. The room was also large. It had it's own bathroom and was decorated with a blue comforter.

"What makes you think we're sharing a room?" Arthur asked, feigning confusion.

"Well, I uh…unless you want to share a room with Eames or Yusuf, you're sharing a room with me right? And since we're married, I figured we were…but if you don't want to it's ok…really." Ariadne rambled, her face flushing a deep red.

"Ariadne I was just teasing you. But yes, this is ours. I'd rather not share a room with Eames, and Yusuf is nice, but I think I'd rather share a room with you." Arthur winked at her and she giggled.

He walked over to her and kissed her softly. Slowly her arms wrapped around his neck and he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him. The slow kiss soon turned fast and passionate. Arthur slowly moving towards the bed carefully held Ariadne close. Just as the back of Ariadne's knees hit the bed she broke the kiss looking up at him with uncertainty written on her face.

Arthur sat on the bed and pulled her down with him. "What is it?"

"It's just…are we really married? I mean we have a certificate and all, but it's fake." Ariadne played with her scarf that was hanging loosely from her neck.

"It depends. Do you want to be married?" Arthur cautiously asked. "Because if you do, we could always have a real ceremony later and 'officially' get married if you want." Arthur answered.

Ariadne seemed to ponder this for a moment. "We did rush into marriage awfully fast. I may get tired of you." She teased and grinned. "But I'd say, yes, I'd like to be married to you. However, I don't think we need a huge ceremony. But I'd like Eames, Yusuf, Dom, and the kids to be there." Arthur nodded and smiled.

"Ok, so we'll have a small wedding. But technically we're already married, so it doesn't matter."

Ariadne looked sadly at Arthur. "I just wish my parents could've been here to tell them the news." Ariadne whispered.

"I'm sorry. You never talk about them much, what happened?" Arthur asked, knowing he was entering unchartered territory.

Ariadne looked down and frowned. "My parents died when I was eighteen. I had just graduated and found out I got into an amazing college. I was out celebrating with some friends when I got a phone call. They told me my parents had gotten into a car accident. A drunk driver hit them; the car flipped and was totaled. They died instantly. My older brother took off and I haven't heard form him since. He just disappeared." Ariadne told him, tears falling freely.

Arthur pulled her into a hug and comforted her. "I'm so sorry."

Ariadne sniffed and looked up at him. "The sad thing is, I haven't even tried to find my brother. I felt so abandoned by him and wanted nothing to do with him. After my parents died my life had become goal oriented. And luckily enough I received scholarships and was able to make it through undergrad school. My dad would never walk me down the aisle, nor would my mom be able to plan my wedding. So I figured why bother with a huge wedding."

Arthur nodded and waited for her to continue, but she didn't. He got the answer he needed. Now he understood why she was so willing to skip a wedding all together. He wanted to find her brother for her, but didn't want to do so without her permission. That didn't stop him from wanting to research him. He definitely would be doing that. Whether Ariadne wanted him to or not.

"We won't have a big wedding then. And like I said before, we're already married, so it will just be a small ceremony with our friends there." Arthur told her. Ariadne nodded and looked up at him. There was a long silence between them, both thinking about the future and what was going to happen.

Finally Arthur spoke up. "Dom thinks we should have kids."

"What?" Ariadne looked up at him and sat up straight. She studied his face to look for any signs of joking, when she found none she continued questioning him.

"And what do you think?" Ariadne simply asked, getting straight to the point.

"I don't know. I think it's…complicated." Arthur sighed. Ariadne nodded.

"I'd like to have kids, eventually. Right now I don't know what I want…"

Arthur looked at her and smiled. "I'm glad my straightforwardness didn't freak you out. I expected you to flip out." Arthur laughed and blushed.

"I've always wanted kids, it really just depended on the guy and if he wanted any."

"I do want kids. I just, I don't know if it's safe." Arthur admitted.

"Well we'll leave it open for discussion, and when we're ready to talk about it, we will." Ariadne said, standing up. "But I think you have a small wedding to plan." She grinned and stretched her arms above her head her shirt rising up revealing a small amount of skin. Arthur's gaze fell there and he swallowed quickly looking away and pushing away any thoughts he may have been having about her and the bed aside.

Ariadne noticed this and blushed. "I'm going to go look around some more. You can unpack and plan away. Then I'll go check on Dom and the kids." Ariadne swiftly made her way out of the room and turned into the first room.

Jumping back and screaming she nearly fainted. Arthur rushed into the room, his gun drawn and ready to shoot at the intruder.

"Why that's no way to treat your co-worker darling." Eames grinned as he sat on the bed.

"Eames you idiot!" Arthur shouted as he put his gun away and grabbed Ariadne's hand, trying to calm her down.

"Well you told me to meet you here, so I did. You know, it's a good thing these walls are thick otherwise I might have been scarred for life from whatever you two were doing in there. You were in there an awful long time. Are you sure you don't need me to leave for an hour or two?" Eames tantalized them.

Arthur scowled at him and grabbed a book that was on the dresser and threw it at Eames. "Shut up Eames!"

"Hey, hey, it's ok. We all have needs and urges. Just don't do anything when I'm in the house." Eames raised his hands in defense and quickly dodged another flying object.

Ariadne was blushing and looked at Eames. "It's good to see you here safe Eames."

"Aww, why thanks love. It's good to know someone missed me. And look at you. You married Mr. Point Man here huh? Well congrats darling. But I'm hurt I wasn't invited to the wedding."

"And you won't be." Arthur snapped.

"Ah, don't be that way Arthur." Eames reasoned.

Ariadne spoke up, wanting to prevent Arthur from beating up Eames. "Eames you're actually invited to our small ceremony we'll be having soon. Right Arthur?" Ariadne turned to Arthur, her face pleading with him to be nice. Arthur sighed and nodded.

"Well I get to be Maid of Honor then!" Eames chuckled and Ariadne giggled. "I'm going to go say hi to Cobb." Eames stood up and headed for the door.

"Actually it's Oliaro. We need to use our aliases now, or at least in public." Arthur told him. Eames nodded and left the couple alone.

"This is going to be hell." Arthur said once Eames was upstairs.

"Oh come on Arthur, it won't be that bad." Ariadne replied, leaning closer to him and kissing him. "Let's go." She pulled him with her and walked up the stairs.

It truly was going to be hard living with Eames.

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**I was actually going to end it with Ariadne screaming, but I figured I would wait to put cliffhangers later on it the story. So I ended it with Arthur's thoughts on living with Eames. Anyways, let me know what you think! Review = love. reviews = feedback. reviews = ideas/suggestions...and I can go on with them...haha...thanks for reading and sticking with me this far! I won't be updating tomorrow, I have class all day...so I won't get home til 7 or so and then I have to do homework, so not writing tomorrow for me *sigh* so enjoy this super long chapter with super long Author's notes... :)**


	10. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

**Woo! Update! I really wanted to get something in before I have to write an English paper, so I managed to get this chapter out. It's super long. I couldn't stop writing though, things kept flowing. I had to force myself to stop writing. Anyways, thank you all for your wonderful reviews and for keeping up with this story. It means a lot to me. This chapter gets so dramatic, but I hope you enjoy it. Things will get bad at times, and there will be many twists and turns in the story, I already have a specific twist in mind, so hopefully that will be revealed soon. Anywho, read and review this chapter! I put a lot of hard work into it! :D**

**P.S. I still don't own Inception...not even on DVD...I have to wait for that! GRR!

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Three days with Eames felt like an eternity. Arthur was starting to get extremely annoyed with his childish antics and constant innuendos. Arthur tried his hardest not to punch him, but every time he wanted to James and Philippa happened to be around.

_He did that on purpose._ Arthur thought angrily. He knew that Eames did it while the kids were around because he knew Arthur wouldn't dare show violence in front of them.

Arthur needed to find a way to release his anger and frustration, but he couldn't seem to get away from Eames. Finally fed up with everything, he quickly made his way out of the house, going for a quiet walk in the Italian countryside.

Ariadne had noticed that Arthur was starting to get irritated with Eames and she wanted to prevent an outburst, but knowing the two, it was unlikely that it could be avoided. She was proud of him though. He had managed to not knock Eames senseless, even though she could see it in his features that he wanted to.

When Arthur stood up suddenly and rushed up the stairs Ariadne sighed. She knew that he had to get away and the only way to do that was to leave the house. She was worried about that. They were to never leave the house alone, especially if they didn't know if they were followed or not. Deciding she didn't want him to do something stupid or let him wander off alone, she quickly followed him, shooting Eames a disapproving glance before slamming the door.

Ariadne looked around for Arthur, half expecting him to be too far gone for her to find him, but as she looked into the yard she saw him. He was sitting on the swings slowly swinging back and forth. Ariadne smiled and walked over to him. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder and waited patiently for him to speak.

Arthur tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he almost turned around and punched the person, thinking it was Eames, but the hand was much smaller than the forger's and immediately he knew it was Ariadne. He expected her to come out, in fact he waited for her, he was just too lost in his thoughts to hear her soft footsteps come up to him.

The silence was peaceful, but Ariadne wanted Arthur to talk, and he sensed that. Placing his hand over hers, he squeezed it lightly. She took this as reassurance and sat in the swing next to him. He turned to her and saw the expectant look on her face.

"I'm sorry I stormed off." He finally said, not really knowing where to start.

"It's ok. Eames really has been a pain lately." Ariadne replied and smiled softly.

"I know, but I don't want to let my emotions take control, especially when we're in such a dangerous position. I have to stay alert and focused, but if I'm not focused for one second, anything can happen." Arthur explained. Ariadne raised her brows and he furrowed his.

"Arthur, it's ok to show emotions. Getting angry is human. And you're not the only one looking out for the team, everyone is looking out for each other." Ariadne reasoned.

"Yes, but I've been here with Eames for three days and already it feels like hell." Arthur grunted. Ariadne chuckled. She had to admit Eames was starting to get out of hand with his risqué comments.

"Eames just likes to mess with you." Ariadne replied.

Arthur shook his head. He already knew that, but when it involved sexual comments about him and Ariadne it changed things. Eames had no right to say anything or suggest anything, and yet he did. Arthur thought back to the previous night.

* * *

_Dom had just walked out of the room, taking James and Philippa to their bedroom to tuck them in and read a bedtime story. Yusuf, tired and uninterested in what was going on, decided to head to bed early. That left Eames, Arthur, and Ariadne. _

_Eames turned to the young couple and grinned. Arthur raised his brows and tensed, knowing where Eames was going to take this conversation._

"_I'm surprised you two aren't going at it like bunnies. You are newlyweds after all, and isn't that all they ever do?" Eames questioned. Ariadne blushed and looked down, her purple scarf suddenly a lot more interesting than Eames. Arthur scowled._

"_Eames, that really is none of your business." Arthur sneered. Ariadne quickly grabbed his hand and squeezed it, throwing him a warning glance. Arthur shook his head, trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to raise his voice and cause the children to question what was going on._

"_Ah, but Darling, it is. You see, I'm in the room next to yours. So whatever happens next door I can hear." Eames smirked._

_Arthur clenched his teeth and inhaled deeply. "Shut up Eames." _

_Eames chuckled and stood up. He stretched his arms up and yawned. He looked down at the couple and grinned._

"_Well I'm going to get some shut eye. Try to keep things down for me will you? I would really like to have a full night's rest, but with you're constant noises I might not be able to." Eames walked to his room and turned around quickly, winking at them. He closed the door and left Arthur fuming. Ariadne shook her head and sighed._

"_Arthur, calm down. Don't let him get to you." _

"_Let's go to bed." Arthur avoided answering her and helped her up, leading her to their room. He closed the door softly and started to get undressed. Ariadne sat on the bed and watched, admiring his every move. _

_His hands slowly undid his red tie, carefully removing it and folding it before putting it in his suitcase. Next he undid his vest, also carefully removing it before folding it and setting it aside. Ariadne watched in awe as he popped the buttons off slowly and gracefully. Not a single beat was skipped in between buttons. As he slid his shirt off, Arthur was unaware of Ariadne's eyes sweeping over his toned form. _

_He turned around and caught her gaze, which she quickly tore away from him. He grinned knowing that he had caught her in the act of checking him out. Ariadne looked up shyly and noticed that he was now staring at her. She flushed deep red, but still held his gaze. Arthur walked over to her slowly, forgetting about his discarded shirt and vest left on the small chair. _

_Ariadne gasped inwardly as he made his way towards her. Her heart began to race as he leaned forward and slowly began to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss, knowing it couldn't get better than this, but she was wrong. The soft, gentle kiss soon became urgent and full of want and need. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him closer. _

_Feeling her tug on him, he slowly lowered her onto the bed, careful not to let his weight crush her. He slowly slid his hands up her body, resting them just below her waist. She flinched at his touch and he stopped moving, looking at her curiously. She shook her head and pulled him back, crushing her lips to his in a swift motion. Her hands soon moved from his hair to his chest. _

_Arthur's hands began inching their way up, slowly and cautiously sliding under her shirt. Ariadne let out a yelp and Arthur pulled back, staring at her with concern. She just began to giggle loudly. Arthur, still confused, continued to stare at her._

"_I'm ticklish." She gasped in between laughs. Arthur grinned and began to tickle her. Her laughs got louder and louder. Arthur had to tell her to be quiet, but that didn't do any good._

_Suddenly they heard a pounding against the wall. _

"_Would you two love birds keep it down in there? Some of us are trying to sleep! Your moaning and giggling is too loud!" Eames shouted from his room. Arthur furiously stood up and was about to barge into Eames' room when Ariadne pulled on his arm. He looked at her and his gaze softened. She silently begged him not to go. He nodded and made his way back to the bed. Lying down next to her he pulled her close to him and rested his chin on top of her head. She smiled and began to rub his chest. _

"_You know, you shouldn't wear a shirt more often." She quietly told him. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head._

"_Oh yeah?" _

"_Uh huh. You have a nice body. And I'd like to admire it more often." She shyly responded. _

"_Well I think the same about you." Arthur quipped. Ariadne giggled and closed her eyes._

"_We haven't even done anything beyond kissing." She told him; ignoring the butterflies she felt when she thought about them going beyond that._

"_If you weren't so ticklish maybe we could do more." Arthur teased. Ariadne frowned and looked at him._

"_It's not my fault! I can't control whether or not I'm ticklish." She defended. "Besides, we don't need to rush anything." She added quietly._

_He looked at her, hiding his confusion and hurt. That didn't stop her from catching the look of hurt in his eyes._

"_It's not that I don't want to. I do. I really, REALLY do. I'm just…scared." She whispered, avoiding eye contact._

_He sat up straighter. "Scared? Why?" He asked, pulling her up and looking into her eyes._

_She looked down and answered, "Because I've never done…you know…it…before."_

_Arthur nodded and watched her carefully. He figured she had boyfriends, in fact she told him that she did, but he didn't realize that she was afraid because she'd never slept with a guy before. He didn't mind though, in fact he was proud to say that she would have been his and only his._

_A tinge of regret and guilt hit him quickly. If only he could say the same for her. Unfortunately being on the job he would get lonely and at times would spend the night with a woman he'd met at the bar. He sighed inwardly, not wanting to head down that road, but knowing they would have to now that it was brought up._

"_It's ok Ari. You don't need to be afraid." He tried comforting her._

"_But I know nothing. And you…you probably have had plenty of experience. I just don't want to be compared to them." She answered, her voice quivering._

"_Hey, hey. Look at me. You will never ever be compared to any of them. You know why?" He gently grabbed her chin and brought her eyes to meet his. She sniffled and looked at him, shaking her head slightly in response to his question._

"_Because you, Ariadne, are the only woman to ever have a special place in my heart. You are the only woman to mean anything to me." He told her. She smiled and a tear rolled down her face._

"_But…" _

_Arthur quickly placed his finger on top of her lips, quieting her. He shook his head. _

"_I wish I could give all of me to you, but I can't, what's done is done. However, I do want you to know that from now on I am only yours. Don't forget that." He told her, leaning forward and kissing her gently. Tears were now rolling down Ariadne's face freely. Arthur, pulling away from the kiss to cradle Ariadne's face, gently wiped away her tears._

"_I love you Arthur." Ariadne whispered the words Arthur had never in his lifetime expected to hear from someone so genuinely. Not only was he taken aback by this proclamation, but he realized that he never before had felt those feelings for someone in return. That is, until now._

_He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "I love you too." He replied, and he sincerely meant it with all of his heart._

_Their quiet little moment was ruined ever so rudely by Eames._

"_Well isn't that the cutest thing I have ever seen. I was wondering why you guys quieted down and decided I better check up on you. I wanted to make sure Arthur didn't kill you or something." Eames teased rather crudely. _

_Arthur stood up quickly and made his way to Eames. The Forger didn't so much as even flinch as Arthur got up into his face._

"_Get out!" Arthur sneered angrily. Eames just grinned widely and turned around. Arthur slammed the door after Eames left and stood in front of it, clenching his fists and breathing heavily._

_Ariadne watched wide-eyed. She was also angry and irritated, but obviously not as much as Arthur was. She sighed and stood up, not bothering to fix her half unbuttoned blouse. She walked over to Arthur and placed a soothing hand on his back. She noticed he stiffened at the contact, but he quickly relaxed._

"_Come to bed." Ariadne told him, guiding him to the bed. He nodded and took off his pants, quickly changing into pajama bottoms and sliding into bed. Ariadne changed into her pajamas as Arthur pulled the covers up. Arthur watched her undress and dress herself quickly. His eyes slowly becoming heavier and heavier. Soon he was asleep, he didn't even feel Ariadne join him in bed and snuggle into him. _

_Arthur woke up the next morning feeling slightly better than he did last night. He was calmer, but he couldn't help but feel angry for the rude interruption and intrusion by Eames. Arthur and Ariadne were having a private moment and Eames decided it was ok to just barge into their room and disrupt the delicate moment._

_Quickly getting out of bed, Arthur pulled out some clothes for the day. He decided to go a little more causal. He pulled out a pair of khaki pants, a dark blue button up shirt, and a brown leather jacket. He was too occupied with getting dressed that he didn't hear Ariadne sneak up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and he jumped. She giggled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him when he turned around. _

_He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. She buried her head in his chest, hoping that he would relax more today._

"_I'm going to make us some breakfast. You go ahead and get ready." Arthur said into her hair. She nodded and kissed him again._

"_Stay out of trouble." She warned, walking to her bag and digging out some clothes. Arthur smiled when he saw her pull out a light blue shirt with a navy blue scarf and a pair of khaki pants. She even had a dark brown blazer in her bag. She didn't pull it out however and he shook his head. Here they were already matching. She noticed him shaking his head and tilted her head sideways._

"_What?"_

_Arthur laughed. "We're already starting to wear matching clothes." _

_Ariadne looked at the clothes in her hand and looked over Arthur's apparel. She laughed and shook her head. _

"_We're going to be one of those couples huh?" _

_Arthur just chuckled and made his way to the kitchen. He began frying eggs, making pancakes, and sizzling bacon. He was so busy cooking he didn't hear James and Philippa make their way into the kitchen._

"_Uncle Artie! I want some!" James begged as he stood on his tippy toes, trying to see what Arthur was cooking. Arthur chuckled and nodded._

"_Ok. Do you want some too Philippa?" Arthur asked and looked at her. She nodded and watched as Eames strutted into the kitchen, an apple in hand._

"_Sorry about last night love. I didn't mean to interrupt. Hope I didn't completely ruin it for you." _

_Arthur shot a look at James and Philippa, not wanting them to ask questions, but they were preoccupied with a coloring book to pay attention to what Eames was saying._

"_Eames, don't." Arthur warned. Ariadne walked into the kitchen, a worried expression on her face. She watched as Eames continued to give Arthur a hard time and frowned when she saw Arthur clench his fists and turn off the stove. He quickly made a plate for James, Philippa, and Ariadne before making his way out of the house._

_Eames stood there, shocked and feeling slightly guilty. When Ariadne glared at him and walked up to him, he knew that he shouldn't have gone so far._

"_My gosh Eames! Have you no sensitivity or respect?" Ariadne hissed as she quickly followed Arthur. Eames watched as she made her way out and turned to look at the children who were happily eating their food._

"_I'm a pain in the arse." He said to himself.

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_

"I know Eames likes to mess with me, however I'm getting extremely tired of him implying things about us and joking about us. It's none of his damn business!" Arthur told her. His jaw locking as he looked away from her.

Ariadne nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"I just, I don't want him to talk about us in that way. It's not respectful to you, and it is certainly not appropriate in front of James and Philippa. If he's going to be such a pain in my…"

"Uncle Artie! Auntie Ari! We're waiting for you!" James called to them from the door.

"Alright, we'll be in soon. Just give us time. We need to talk ok?" Arthur replied back. James nodded and closed the door.

"Just, try to ignore him. I will admit he is getting annoying, but it's just Eames. Now let's go have breakfast and enjoy time together." Ariadne told him. She held her hand out for him and he laced their fingers together, following her into the house.

As they were walking to the house they thought they saw someone run behind the trees. Arthur pulled out his gun and looked around.

"Go inside." He told her urgently.

"Not without you." She replied defiantly.

"Go!" Arthur urged.

"Arthur, I'm not going without you!" She argued. He sighed and followed her to the door, cautiously looking around. With no sign of a person, he walked inside and closed the door, locking both the doorknob and deadbolt.

"Who was that? Was there anyone even there?" Ariadne breathlessly asked.

"I don't know, but we better warn Dom." Arthur replied and ushered her downstairs. Dom was already waiting for them expectantly.

"Dom, we need to talk." Arthur told him urgently.

"Alright, but Eames has something to say first." Dom informed them as Eames walked out.

"Arthur darling, I believe I owe you an apology. You know I'm just pulling your leg right?" Eames looked at Arthur expectantly. Arthur sighed and nodded.

"Apology accepted, however you need to stop with your risqué comments and jokes."

Eames nodded and turned to Ariadne. "My dear, I owe you an apology too. It was unkind of me to embarrass you like that, and what you and Arthur do or don't do is none of my business. You two are my friends and colleagues. I don't want to cause any kind of rift between us." Eames told her earnestly. She smiled and walked up to him, giving him a hug.

"I know Eames. You just need to calm down a little." She said and glanced at Arthur.

"Dom, we may have a problem." Arthur cut in.

Dom's head snapped up. "What?"

"While Ari and I were outside we thought we saw someone run into one of the trees, I looked around while we made our way in, but didn't see anyone."

Dom anxiously looked at his kids. He didn't want them to be in danger. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Alright, we'll need to keep security extra tight for the next few days. No one leaves without someone knowing and no one goes alone. Understood?" Dom ordered and watched his friends.

They all nodded. "I'll tell Yusuf." Eames left and knocked on the chemist's door.

"Alright, I'll have Eames take the first shift tonight. He'll be upstairs on guard." Dom told Arthur and Ariadne.

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Later that night Arthur and Ariadne were in their room, holding each other. They were both thinking about what could happen and all of the different possibilities that were looming above their heads. If they indeed saw someone, all of them were at risk.

"Arthur." Ariadne said.

"Yes?"

"If we are in trouble, we need to make sure Dom and his children get out of here safe. That's all that matters right now." She whispered.

"You need to be safe too." He replied.

"Promise me Arthur. Promise me them first." She looked him in the eyes.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, but when he saw the pleading in her eyes he nodded. He knew that this was a big thing she was asking of him. He wanted to keep her safe above all else.

"Alright, but once we know they're safe, we're going to get you somewhere safe." Arthur told her forcefully. She nodded and grabbed onto him. Not wanting to let go. He pulled her closer, wanting to protect her and keep her from harm's way. She urgently kissed him.

He was both shocked and pleased with this sudden movement. He gave in to her and began kissing her with as much passion as she was kissing him. Soon enough Arthur was hovering above her. Their kissing still heated and passionate. It was filled with urgency, need, want, fear, and love. Arthur pulled back quickly and Ariadne pouted.

"Wait." Arthur breathed heavily. He quickly got up and locked the door, not wanting any rude interruptions. Ariadne pulled him back on the bed when he made his way back, resuming their heated make out session.

Hands began wandering and Arthur slowly tugged on Ariadne's shirt. She grunted as she struggled with the buttons of his shirt. Arthur chuckled and helped her, as soon as his shirt was off, he began working on hers. Within minutes their clothes were removed, and so began the night of two lovers, being half of a whole.

Ariadne and Arthur were holding each other tightly. They were desperate for things to stay just like they were. They never wanted to let go of each other.

Ariadne hoped that everything would be ok. That she would be able to spend the rest of her life with Arthur safely. To raise a family with him. To grow old with him. But as she heard gunshots above, she knew that things were about to get worse, much worse.

Arthur and Ariadne quickly got dressed and made their way to Dom's room. They found Dom and the children packed and ready to escape.

"Arthur, we're going to take the escape route and meet at our other rendezvous spot. Once we're safely away and sure that no one's followed us, I'll call you. Be sure to have Eames and Yusuf meet us there too. Be careful." Dom quickly told them before picking up his children and dragging their bags.

Arthur and Ariadne watched as Dom left. Arthur's head snapped up when he heard more gunshots and yelling.

"I better go help Eames." Arthur quickly pulled out his gun and began walking upstairs.

"Arthur no!" Ariadne pulled on his arm. Arthur turned to her and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"Stay here and be safe. There's an extra gun in my bag. Get it and stay in the room. I'll come and get you when it's safe." He urgently told her. She nodded, tears falling freely down her face. He kissed her one last time before heading upstairs.

Ariadne rushed to the room and pulled the gun out of Arthur's bag, hiding behind the bed. She sat there crying, until she heard the door creak open. She dared a peek over the bed to find three men looking around. She held in a gasp when she saw them, but unfortunately for her they saw her.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." One of the men replied. Ariadne screamed and shot at them.

She hit two of the men, killing them instantly. However, the third man dodged the bullets and kicked the gun out of her hand, grabbing her wrist he yanked her onto the bed.

"Now that's not very nice. Those were my friends." His deep voiced boomed in her ears.

"Let me go." She whimpered.

"Not until we do what I want." He grinned wickedly. She began struggling to get away from him, but to know use.

"Arthur!" She screamed.

"Arthur? I'm afraid he won't be helping you." The man told her as he shoved her flat on her back.

She squirmed and screamed again. The man pulled out a knife and held it to her neck.

"Shut up!"

She stopped squirming and silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She was bruising around the wrists and her shirt was torn. There was a small line across her collarbone from the knife. Just as she thought he was about to do something awful to her she heard a gunshot and the man fell to the ground. She screamed and sobbed loudly. Arthur rushed into the room and held her shaking body.

"Shh! I'm here."

Ariadne clung onto him, fear overtaking her and she passed out.

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**Hmmm...so what do you think? Nice ending huh? haha...review and let me know what you think...more drama, more fluff...I need to know what you guys like and don't like. Personally I think we all need to read a little drama...so I threw in some for you...review please!**


	11. The Aftermath

**Alright here is the next chapter! I don't really like the way it came out...for some reason I had a hard time writing this chapter...however I hope you enjoy it. It has to get angsty before it can get better! But it won't be this way for long! I promise! However, there will be drama and problems along the way...pretty soon we'll be getting into who is after them, along with some twists...hmmm...read and review and I'll get started on the next chapter sooner! haha**

**I still don't own Inception...but hopefully in a few months I will own the DVD! Haha...I am having withdrawals from it...

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"Arthur, we're going to take the escape route and meet at our other rendezvous spot. Once we're safely away and sure that no one's followed us, I'll call you. Be sure to have Eames and Yusuf meet us there too. Be careful." Dom quickly told them before picking up his children and dragging their bags.

Arthur and Ariadne watched as Dom left. Arthur's head snapped up when he heard more gunshots and yelling.

"I better go help Eames." Arthur quickly pulled out his gun and began walking upstairs.

"Arthur no!" Ariadne pulled on his arm. Arthur turned to her and pulled her into a deep kiss.

"Stay here and be safe. There's an extra gun in my bag. Get it and stay in the room. I'll come and get you when it's safe." He urgently told her. She nodded; tears falling freely down her face. He kissed her one last time before heading upstairs.

Arthur rushed into the kitchen in the decoy house. He found Eames in a fistfight with a man; before he could go help Eames he felt a sharp punch fly to his face. He flinched and held his nose, hoping that it wasn't broken. He turned around and swung at him, knocking him down. Just as the man fell down Arthur heard Eames cry out in pain as a gunshot resounded throughout the room. Turning around quickly he found Eames clutching his shoulder.

Arthur quickly aimed at the man that shot Eames and pulled the trigger, the man's limp body fell to the floor as he rushed to Eames.

"Eames!" Arthur pulled Eames off the ground and checked his wound.

"I'm fine darling. Nothing I can't handle." Eames winced and gasped as Arthur poked around the bullet wound.

"What happened?" Arthur asked, still examining the damage.

"I was sitting up here reading, when all of a sudden five guys barged in like they owned the place and began shooting around." Eames breathlessly replied.

"Wait, five guys?" Arthur asked looking around alarmed, but it was too late, he saw three men making their way down stairs. "Ariadne!" Arthur stood up and followed the men downstairs. He heard Ariadne's scream and rammed into the now closed and locked door.

"Arthur!" She screamed.

Arthur rammed into the door harder and it finally broke. He rushed into the room to find a man pinning Ariadne to the bed, a knife to her neck. Her wrists were bruising and her shirt was practically ripped open. Arthur, anger consuming him, shot the man. She screamed and began sobbing. Arthur rushed to her and cradled her quivering body.

"Shh! I'm here." He whispered reassuringly.

Ariadne clung onto him, fear overtaking her and she passed out.

"Ari? Ariadne!" Arthur exclaimed as her body went limp in his arms. "Eames! Eames!"

Eames came barging into the room, gun drawn. He looked around the room alert and put away his gun as he saw the three dead men on the ground, Arthur on the bed, and Ariadne unconscious in his arms.

"What happened?"

"I came down to find Ariadne pinned on the bed and this guy," Arthur pointed at the man lying lifeless in front of the bed, "was trying to rape her."

"What?" Eames growled.

"He didn't. I made it…barely." Arthur sighed. "And then she just passed out."

"We've got a bigger problem than we thought." Eames shook his head and put his hand back to his bleeding shoulder.

"Let's clean up, get rid of the bodies, and then we can check up on Dom and the kids." Arthur told Eames.

"I thought they left?" Eames asked, confused.

"No, that was just a decoy move in case they heard us talking about anything. We have a cellar that goes deep, and when I say deep, I mean deep. Hopefully they couldn't hear anything that went on up here. They shouldn't have. We soundproofed that room and everything. But we need to make this presentable for James and Philippa." Arthur sighed. The children shouldn't be exposed to anything, nor should they be put in danger like they are now.

"Ok, but can we get this fixed first?" Eames asked, pointing at his soaking shirt. Arthur nodded and laid Ariadne down on the bed, brushing her hair out of her face and kissing her.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. Ariadne stirred, but didn't wake up. He frowned and helped Eames carry the three bodies upstairs. Piling them up with the other two men upstairs Eames looked around.

"What are we supposed to do with these exactly?"

"We need to bury them. There's a place about a mile away from here. We have to move quick though. I don't want to leave Ariadne here alone." Arthur told him, picking up a body and dragging it to the garage where he threw it into a van.

"Wait, since when do we have a van?" Eames raised an eyebrow at Arthur, feeling out of the loop.

"We have had it hidden for a while, right now seems like as good a time as any to put it to good use."

"Huh. And here I thought you were an old stick in the mud with no imagination. Wait a second, where's Yusuf?" Eames' head snapped up. Arthur looked at Eames, panic written all over his face.

"Right now we can't waste time. We need to dispose of these bodies and then we'll find him." Arthur said. Eames nodded and within an hour the bodies were buried.

Arthur eyed Eames when he saw him grimace. "Is it getting bad?"

Eames just nodded, in too much pain to answer. Arthur hit the steering wheel and held in a yell.

Pulling into the garage Arthur jumped out and helped Eames out of the van and into the house. Eames trudged his way into the living room, which somehow was perfectly clean. Arthur looked around, shocked. Eames whistled.

"I decided to clean up the mess while you were gone." Yusuf shakily told them, creeping out of his room.

"Where the hell were you?" Arthur shouted.

Yusuf flinched and looked down, rubbing his arm. "I hid under the bed."

"Why? We could have used your help! You could have kept an eye on Ariadne for me! Protected her!" Arthur was furious. Yusuf continued looking down.

"I lost my gun. I don't do well in fighting positions. You know that! It was just a reaction." Yusuf defended himself.

"But you have a job to do! We need to keep each other safe!" Arthur moved closer to Yusuf, pointing his finger at him.

"Arthur." Eames said, shaking his head. He was getting paler. Arthur sighed and rubbed his face.

"I'm sorry." Arthur told Yusuf. "Check up on him for me ok? Fix him up, he can't get worse." Yusuf nodded and tended to Eames while Arthur walked into the dining room. He pushed the bookcase aside and walked into the hidden room. He then proceeded to move a table and pulled up a door leading to the cellar.

"Dom!" Arthur called out.

"Arthur!" Dom quickly made his way up, glancing downstairs protectively.

"They've been dealt with. I think you and the kids should stay down there though. At least at night. We can't risk anything happening."

"What happened? Did you find anything out?"

"No. Ariadne was attacked. We had to kill them. Eames was shot. We cleaned everything up, but Ariadne is unconscious. We're in over our heads Dom." Arthur sighed.

Dom nodded and watched Arthur intently. "Is Ariadne ok?"

"I'm not sure. But we need to take care of Eames. He lost a lot of blood." Arthur said and turned around as he heard his scream.

"Bloody hell Yusuf! Can't you be gentler!"

Arthur chuckled lightly, he couldn't help but find the situation amusing. Dom shook his head and smirked.

"Or not...he seems fine. We'll just give him painkillers." Arthur chuckled and turned to Dom.

"James and Philippa are asleep. I'll leave them down there for now. Let's check up on our Forger shall we?"

Arthur nodded just as he heard a scream.

Ariadne woke up screaming. She dreamt of the men attacking her. She couldn't help but vividly picture everything that happened. The men, the two dead bodies falling, the man eyeing her lustfully, the knife, the way he ripped her clothes. She violently lashed about, pushing at nothing.

Arthur ran into the room, Dom following close behind.

"Ariadne!" He cried. She kept lashing out, throwing punches at Arthur. Arthur gently grabbed her fists.

"Ari! Ari, it's me! Shh! I'm here." Arthur tried calming her. She squirmed against him, her sobs becoming louder and louder. Arthur rubbed her back gently. Ariadne's sobs finally resided and she clung tightly to Arthur. Her breathing was coming in short gasps, causing her to hyperventilate.

Arthur continued to rub her back, hoping it would calm her. Slowly but surely her breathing calmed and normalized. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief and glanced and Dom who was still standing at the door.

"Ari. What happened?" Arthur asked, hoping his question wouldn't upset her.

"I dreamt…I dreamt that…." She couldn't finish her sentence and began crying again.

"Shh. It's ok." Arthur whispered soothingly.

"Ariadne, you're fine. We'll keep you safe." Dom finally walked into the room and crouched in front of Ariadne and Arthur, hoping to get through to her.

She nodded weakly and buried her head in Arthur's chest. Arthur stroked her hair and looked helplessly at Dom. He knew that this would be a sign of what the next few days were going to be like.

Dom sighed. "Arthur, take her down to the cellar."

"But James and Philippa will see her. They might get scared. And knowing them they will ask tons of questions." Arthur argued.

Dom nodded. "Yes, but take her to the other room, hopefully they won't go in there. They know that they can't go into rooms they aren't supposed to."

"I don't want them to get scared though. If she has another nightmare…" Arthur trailed off looking at Ariadne. She hadn't said anything through the whole exchanged and he felt weird talking about her with her right there in his arms.

"Arthur's right." Ariadne finally said.

Dom looked at her and waited for her to turn to him and speak up again. She slowly turned her head to look at Dom.

"I don't want to scare James and Philippa. If something happens, and I wake up…like I just did…I don't want them to be scared."

Arthur squeezed her gently and helped her sit up. She rubbed her eyes and looked defiantly at Dom. Dom finally nodded.

"Ok, however I don't think you should stay up here. It's much safer down there." Dom reasoned.

"I'll go when this passes." Ariadne whispered.

"Alright. I'll give you two some time alone." Dom said as he closed the door.

"Ari, you need to tell me what happened." Arthur finally said. She nodded and he noticed that her lips quivered.

"He, he came in and he threatened me. I shot the other two men with the gun that was in your bag, but then he pinned me down and the bed, pulled out a knife and held it to my throat." She ran her fingers across the scabby cut on her neck and shivered. "Then he ripped my shirt open and tried to tear my pants. I screamed and that's when you came in and shot him." Ariadne began sobbing again. "Arthur I was so scared!"

Arthur clutched her against him, not wanting to let her go. He only wished he could take away her fear and help her recover from this.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't make it in time. And I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise." Arthur whispered in her hair.

"It's not your fault Arthur." Ariadne shook her head. She knew that he did what he could. It didn't mean that her dreams would be pleasant now, they definitely would be nightmares these next few days.

Arthur shook his head and held her. Hoping that her dreams wouldn't be nightmares for long. They laid down on the bed and fell asleep, clinging to each other desperately.

* * *

**So yes, very angsty. The beginning of the next chapter will be too...but it won't last too long. Answers need to be found! :O Please review! It helps me to know who's still reading and enjoying this story...**


	12. The Busy Day

**Whoa! Long chapter! Haha...I actually had a hard time with this chapter also, some calm before the storm I guess you could say with this one...thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you are enjoying the story! If you have any ideas and suggestions, those are gladly accepted! :D Read and review!**

**I want to own Inception, how many times do I have to tell you! haha...

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Ariadne woke up screaming and thrashing about again. It had been two weeks and her nightmares were still haunting her. Arthur dashed into the room, pulling her against him and trying to calm her down. He had really hoped that her nightmares would have resided by now, but it was the same routine every day and night.

He would wake up in the morning and walk into the next room, discussing things with Eames and Dom when he would hear Ariadne's screaming. He would rush into the room for comfort her, trying to get her to wake up and relax. At night they would be asleep, when all of a sudden she would jerk and push Arthur away, knocking him off the bed. She would pull the covers up and move as far away from him as she could.

He would gently remind her that she was ok and it was just him. Poor Ariadne would feel bad about shoving Arthur off the bed and she'd apologize over and over to him, tears falling freely down her face.

Arthur would hug her and rub her back, waiting until she fell asleep again. Usually the same thing happened every morning and night.

This morning was no different. Arthur sighed as he calmed her down, wishing he could do something to stop her from having these nightmares. After her screaming and breathing calmed down, she suddenly sat up, the adrenaline making her nauseous.

Arthur followed her quickly, knowing what was about to happen. As she gagged into the toilet he held back her hair and rubbed her back in circular motions.

After she finished throwing up, she flushed the toilet and stood up with Arthur's help. She made her way to the sink, washed her face, and brushed her teeth.

"This is getting ridiculous." Arthur finally said. Ariadne turned to him speechless and sighed, looking down. She let the tears fall again and hugged Arthur, burying her face in his chest.

Dom walking into the room, taking in the scene and frowning.

"Ariadne. Ariadne, I really think we should try something to stop these nightmares. This can't be healthy or even fun for you." Dom suggested calmly, watching the young woman intently.

She looked up from Arthur's chest and sighed. "What do you have in mind?"

"Arthur and I will go into your dream. We'll be in your nightmare and we'll try to stop your projections that way you won't have the nightmare anymore. But you have to trust us fully and not hold anything back. In fact, you'll have to dream like you have been the past couple weeks." Dom said.

Ariadne hesitated at first, not wanting to expose Arthur to what happened to her, but knowing that she wanted to get past this she nodded.

"Ok, but only you and Arthur are going in." Ariadne whispered. "I don't want anyone else to see what happened."

Arthur squeezed her hand gently. "We're going to stop these for you Ari." He kissed her cheek and raised his other hand to cup her face.

"I trust you guys." Ariadne replied, looking at Dom then Arthur.

"Alright, I'll get the PASIV. Do you want to do this in your room or down in the cellar?"

Ariadne looked at Dom pensively and replied, "The cellar. No one needs to know about this."

"Alright. I'll make sure the kids are taking a nap and tell Eames to watch them for me, then we'll head down." Dom told her as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Arthur asked, searching for any sign of reluctance.

"I'm tired to having to relive that moment over and over again. And I'm starting to throw up after that dream, I'm sure I want to do this Arthur. I just want to have a good night's sleep, not push you out of bed at night, and be able to dream peacefully."

"Ok." Arthur nodded in understanding.

"Come on guys." Dom motioned for them to follow him. The three of them made their way into the cellar, making sure to go into the room Dom had prepared for Arthur and Ariadne. "We shouldn't be disturbed in here, and only Eames knows we are down here. He'll come and check up on us in an hour if we're not back up there."

Ariadne nodded and lay down on the bed, Arthur lying next to her. Dom pulled out the IV's and handed them to both of them. Arthur gently inserted the small needle into Ariadne's wrist before pricking his own wrist. The last thing he remembered was seeing Ariadne's eyes fluttering closed.

When he woke up, he was inside the house. Dom was standing staring outside the window. Arthur quickly stood up, shuffling over to where Dom was.

"So this is what it looked like?" Dom asked, emotion slowly seeping through his composed voice.

Arthur nodded and stood next to Dom, looking over the destroyed room. Dom shook his head and turned to Arthur.

"This is just her projection of what she thinks it looked like out here. She never left the room after the men intruded." Arthur told Dom.

"Well then let's find her." Dom said as they heard Ariadne's scream. Arthur and Dom both looked towards the bedroom, running to find the intruder.

Dom held up his hand for Arthur to stand behind him and follow his lead. Arthur slumped a little before nodding in agreement. Dom peered into the room and saw three men standing in there. Two were inching their way towards Ariadne, but before they could touch her she shot them. They fell to the floor as the third man angrily glared at her. He started walking to her. That's when Dom decided to intrude.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He shouted. Arthur following close behind, pointing his gun at the man.

"Ah, so these must be your protectors. Too bad they won't last long." The man sneered and turned to them.

"Arthur!" Ariadne screamed as the man lunged at him, pulling out a knife. Arthur dodged just in time, but not before the knife sliced his arm.

Ariadne started crying as she watched Arthur clutch his arm and roll away from the man. Dom had made his way to the projection and punched him, causing the man to stumble back. This split second allowed Dom to put the man in a headlock. Ariadne took this opportunity to help Arthur.

"Are you alright? You're bleeding." Ariadne sobbed, gently wrapping his arm in her scarf that had been thrown to the side.

"I'm fine." Arthur winced. He looked to Dom who was struggling with the man. The man punched Dom in the nose, breaking it. Dom fell to the floor, holding his nose. The man lunged at Arthur. Arthur pushed Ariadne out of the way. The man stabbed Arthur, lodging the knife in Arthur's stomach. He gasped for air and Ariadne yelped.

She picked up the gun that was on the bed and shot the man. He fell to the floor and disappeared, as well as the two other men. Dom, still holding his bleeding nose, made his way over to Arthur and Ariadne.

"Shoot him." Dom told Ariadne. Her hands were shaking and she shook her head.

"I can't."

"Do it. He'll wake up. If you don't he'll suffer more here. He doesn't need to suffer." Dom urged her.

She shook her head. "No. No, I can't."

"Ari, do it. Please." Arthur reached for the gun and she pulled back slightly. He gently grabbed her hand and pointed the gun to his temple. "Just one shot. I'll see you up there."

She cried as she pulled the trigger and watched his body go lifeless. Dom put an arm around her, comforting her.

"Ariadne, what's the real reason you keep having these dreams?" Dom finally asked.

"I…I…I, I was so scared that Arthur wouldn't make it in time to save me. Each time I dream about this, I dream of what would have happened had Arthur not made it in time. I didn't intentionally do it, but once I thought about it, that's all I could think about. What if?"

"You can't think that way. You of everyone should know that. You have seen what happens when a person does that. You've had first hand experience." Dom told her.

"I know. And that's why it's so frustrating Dom. Not only do I think about what could have happened, but also what could happen in the future. What happens when they send more men and torture you. Take your kids. I can't see that. I just want all of this to end. What exactly did Cobol want that you didn't give them?" Ariadne asked.

"Saito's expansion plans. We didn't make it in time, they put a price on our head. Here we are now. If we can tie up these loose ends we can get out of this mess." Dom rubbed his face, wincing as his hand pushed too hard on his nose.

"Will things get fixed?" Ariadne whispered.

"I sure hope so. I don't want to have my kids live as fugitives. It would be nice to live as a normal family for once." Dom answered.

"Arthur and I wanted to have a real wedding. But right now things don't look like we can do that. We wanted it soon…" Ariadne trailed off.

"Well we'll have one. There's a small church in town and you have more than enough witnesses." Dom reasoned.

"Is it safe?"

"I'll make sure it is. And I'm sure James and Philippa would love to be in your wedding too."

Ariadne smiled and nodded. "Ok. I'll talk to him…" She frowned and Dom raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"I just wish my family could be here when I get married. My brother is missing and my parents died. I have no one to walk me down the aisle." Ariadne sighed.

"It would be my honor to walk you down the aisle." Dom held his hand out to her, she took it, smiling.

"Thank you."

Dom nodded. "Now how about we join Arthur? I'm sure he's worried about you."

Ariadne nodded and closed her eyes as Dom held the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

She gasped and sat up, her eyes shut tightly.

"It's alright. I'm here. It's ok." Arthur assured her, stroking her cheek. She opened her eyes slowly and wrapped her arms around Arthur, the IV getting lodged out of her skin.

"I love you." Ariadne simply replied, squeezing him tighter. "We're going to have our wedding tomorrow."

Arthur pulled away and looked at her questioningly. "What?"

"I want to do it now. Before things get too dangerous. I want to be married officially." Ariadne explained.

"We are technically married…but I did promise you a wedding. Are you sure?" Arthur watched her face. She nodded vigorously.

"Yes. James and Philippa can be in the wedding. Dom will walk me down the aisle, Eames can be your best man."

Arthur laughed. "Oh really?"

Ariadne glared at him. "Yes really."

"Ok. We're getting married tomorrow." He grinned at her and kissed her softly.

"Technically we are married." Ariadne mimicked him. Arthur chuckled and shook his head as Dom woke up.

"You should be fine now." Dom told Ariadne. "How about we head up and tell everyone the news, then we'll eat something."

Arthur and Ariadne nodded, lacing their fingers together and following Dom up stairs.

* * *

The day had gone by fast. After they had told everyone the news, plans were being made and Arthur and Ariadne had no time to be together. Eames dragged Arthur away, practically begging him to let him be the best man. Arthur rolled his eyes and finally nodded his head.

"YES!" Eames slapped Arthur on the back. "Now it's time to get your suit…er, well you probably already have one. Never mind. We'll go have a few drinks!" Eames exclaimed.

"No. I know where this is going. We are NOT going to a strip club. Besides I highly doubt there are any here. And it's too dangerous to go out anyways." Arthur refused.

Eames slumped his shoulders and sighed. "You're no fun. Alright then. We'll stay in and celebrate. Sound fun old man?" Eames teased.

Arthur shook his head and walked off, ignoring Eames.

Ariadne on the other hand had a much more productive day. Dom decided to take her to find a nice sundress. He insisted that he take her to find something, whether she thought she needed to or not. Finally she agreed and Dom took her to a small little Italian shop where she found the perfect little sundress. It was white with a blue belt that went around the waist. The spaghetti straps were also a blue color. The dress went just below her knees and when Ariadne tried it on, she knew it was the right choice.

"But what about James and Philippa? They need something to wear." Ariadne asked.

Dom nodded. "They already have things they can wear. Don't worry about it. Right now it's about you." Dom said.

Ariadne smiled and within three hours she had found the perfect dress, shoes, and jewelry. She was planning on curling her hair in the morning and she wore very little make up anyway.

The day finally came to a close and Dom was carrying her bags into the house when Arthur was cooking, two kids running around his legs and laughing. Dom smiled at the sight.

"Daddy!" James called out and ran to him, running to his legs and latching on. Dom laughed and put down Ariadne's bags.

"Hey buddy. How was your day?"

"Good. Uncle Artie played with us all day." James answered, turning to look at Arthur and smiling. Arthur grinned and turned back to the food.

"Oh really? Did you keep an eye on him for Auntie Ari? Make sure he didn't get into any trouble." Dom asked, jokingly.

"Uncle Artie never gets in trouble daddy!" James giggled and squirmed so he could be put down. Dom laughed and turned to Ariadne who was looking pale and flustered.

"You ok?" Dom asked. Arthur's head snapped up and he looked at Ariadne.

She nodded and picked up the bags. "Yes. Just a little tired and hungry. I'm fine, really."

Arthur didn't believe her, but he continued cooking. Dom sighed and helped her with her bags.

"Get something to eat and then head to bed. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." Dom told her, setting down the bags by the bed. She nodded and sat on the bed, lying down.

"Tell Arthur to come and get me when the food's ready." Ariadne yawned and closed her eyes. Dom nodded and closed the door softly, allowing her to sleep.

"Is she ok?" Arthur asked, turning to Dom.

"I think so. She was fine all day, so she probably is tired. She said to get her when the food's done."

Arthur nodded. He turned his attention back to the food and ignored Eames comments.

* * *

Arthur gently shook Ariadne awake. She mumbled something and rolled over, Arthur smiled and shook his head.

"Ari, wake up. The food is ready." Arthur softly told her. She opened one eye and frowned.

"Mmm…more sleep." Ariadne grunted.

"You can sleep afterwards, unless you're not hungry." Arthur reasoned. As if on cue her stomach began growling. Arthur laughed and Ariadne sat up.

"Food would be nice." She murmured and got up, following Arthur out. As soon as Ariadne got her food she began eating it. She couldn't help it, she hadn't eaten all day. Eames watched her amused.

"Whoa there darling, eat slower." Eames chuckled. Ariadne glared and started eating her food slower.

"Happy?" She asked sarcastically.

"Very." Eames smirked, "So are you ready for tomorrow. You're going to be stuck with this boring guy here for the rest of your life once you say I do."

Arthur glared at Eames and kicked him under the table. Eames shrieked and rubbed his shin. Dom stifled a laugh, not wanting his children to see him laughing at their behavior.

"Stop acting like children." Dom scolded, turning to Yusuf and grinning. Yusuf chuckled and stood up.

"You're not nervous are you? It's a big day." Yusuf asked Ariadne. Ariadne bit her lip. She hadn't been thinking about being nervous. Instead she was thinking about planning the wedding. She shook her head and stood up quickly, nausea taking over. She ran to the bathroom, leaving everyone at the table confused. When she walked back Arthur walked over to her.

"Are you sure you're ok?" He asked.

Ariadne smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine. I guess with all this talk about being nervous it made me nervous. So would you stop? I'd like to enjoy my food thank you." She sat down and started eating again. Arthur shrugged and accepted her answer.

"Ok, no more talk about that then." Eames mumbled.

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Arthur and Ariadne were curled up under the blankets together. Arthur was stroking her hair and placing soft kisses on her nose.

"Will you be able to sleep fine tonight?" Arthur finally asked. Ariadne nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine now. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Ariadne looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Ok, I just want to make sure." Arthur replied. "Tomorrow you will officially be my wife."

"Technically…"

"…we're already married. I know I was the one who told you that, remember? But this feels so much more real, having an actual wedding, I can't believe it." Arthur grinned and pulled her closer. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"Well we better rest up for it then." Ariadne whispered before falling asleep.

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**So what did you think? Leave reviews and any ideas you have! :D**


	13. The Calm Before the Storm Part 1

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews! They mean so much to me! And there are a few of you who are catching on to what's going to happen...kudos to you! haha, however, nothing is set in stone...ahahaha! What's a story without drama? Anyways, here's the next chapter. I decided to cut this one in half and do it in two parts...a storm's a-brewin'! So let me know what you think and review! They keep me going! :D Oh and if you go to my page you'll find links to Ariadne's dress, Arthur's suit, Ari's hair, makeup, the church they're getting married at, their rings...I thought visuals would be nice...so check them out! **

**Still don't own Inception, it's too genius for me.

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Ariadne woke up knowing that it was going to be a busy day. She had to get ready for the wedding, and trust that Dom had everything else under control. All she wanted to do was get ready and go marry Arthur. Opening her eyes and blinking a few times, she rolled over to find Arthur staring at her, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Good morning." He softly told her, kissing her. She smiled and snuggled into his warm body.

"Morning."

"How'd you sleep?" Arthur asked, concern filling his features.

Ariadne looked at him and grinned. "Better than I have in weeks." Arthur sighed and relaxed. He took her hand in his and played with her rings.

"You know, I should take your wedding band. We'll need to give each other them at the wedding anyway." Arthur said. Ariadne pulled back her hand and looked at her rings.

"But I like wearing them." She pouted playfully. Arthur chuckled.

"You'll get it back later. I promise."

"Fine, but give me yours now. If you take mine, I'm taking yours." She sat up and held her hand out. Arthur twisted the ring on his finger and slowly slid it off, gently placing it in Ariadne's palm. She closed her fist around it and looked at Arthur. He was holding his hand out. She shook her hand and handed him her hand, he then slid the ring of slowly and delicately.

Ariadne frowned, she didn't like the feel of the missing ring. She still had the engagement ring, but it wasn't the same.

"I'll take care of it, I promise." Arthur remarked after seeing her solemn expression.

"It's not that, I just don't like the way it feels…not having the ring." Ariadne answered, biting her lip and glancing at Arthur. Arthur smiled.

"Me neither." Arthur whispered as Eames barged in.

"Alright lovelies, time for you two to get ready. Ariadne dear, you will be in the other room. Arthur, I have the pleasure and privilege of helping you get ready." Eames grinned.

Ariadne looked at Arthur who was sitting there stiffly. She held in a giggle and stood up.

"I don't need help getting dressed Eames." Arthur said through gritted teeth. He really wanted to stay calm today. It was his day after all.

"Ah, that's what you think darling." Eames winked at him and turned to Ariadne. "Unless you prefer I help Ariadne."

Arthur stood up and wrapped his arm around Ariadne. "Don't even think about it Eames."

Eames laughed. "I'm joking Arthur. I would never do that, unless she wanted me to."

Ariadne playfully punched Eames and turned to Arthur. "I can dress myself. I'm a grown woman." She stood on her toes and kissed Arthur before grabbing her bags and walking into the other room.

"Well now that she's gone, shall we?" Eames asked, gesturing to the bathroom. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to take a shower. Go do whatever it is you do when you're waiting." Arthur said as he grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him and locking it. Knowing Eames he'd probably find a way to unlock it if he wanted to. Arthur sighed and turned on the shower, once it warmed up he undressed and got in, letting the heat calm his nerves.

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Ariadne was in the other room, taking everything out of the bags and laying them down on the bed. She admired each thing before she turned to close the door, lock it, grab a towel and head to the bathroom. She turned on the water and held her hand under it, letting it warm up before she too undressed and got in the shower. Ariadne had a good feeling about today. It was her day. A day she'd get to share with Arthur. She was excited about it.

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Dom came knocking on her door about two hours later. She walked to it and unlocked it, opening the door and peeking through. When she saw it was Dom she opened the door wider to allow him passage.

"You look beautiful." He simply said. Ariadne blushed and looked down, smoothing her dress in the process.

"Thank you. Did Arthur leave already?" She asked.

Dom nodded. "They left about half an hour ago, he's nervous as hell, but he's excited. Are you ready to go?"

Ariadne looked around her and made sure she had everything. She grabbed her small clutch and opened it, revealing her bishop, Arthur's ring, and her cell phone and some chapstick.

"Yes, let's go."

"Auntie Ari! You look pretty!" Philippa squealed when she saw her.

"Thank you Philippa. So do you." Ariadne complimented the little girl. She giggled and spun around for Ariadne.

"Daddy said so too."

"Well he knows what he's talking about." Ariadne grinned.

"Why are you wearing white?" James asked curiously.

"She's wearing white because that's what the bride does at a wedding." Dom told James.

"What's a bride?" James looked up at Dom, his eyes big.

"A bride is a woman who is going to get married." Dom replied, picking James up and leading Ariadne and Philippa to the car.

"Was mommy a bride?" James asked innocently. Ariadne shot Dom a look and noticed him tense a little bit.

"Yes she was sweetie."

"So she wore white too?" Philippa asked in awe.

"Yes, she wore white."

"I want to wear white!" Philippa declared, prancing around in her dress.

"Someday you will. Just not a wedding dress yet." Dom shook his head, not wanting to think about the day his baby girl would get married.

Philippa and James both lost interest in the subject and stopped talking. Dom drove them to the small church just inside the small town. Ariadne sighed nervously and looked at Dom. Dom nodded and led her into the church. He stopped her at the door and told her to wait for him. She nodded and watched as he entered into the sanctuary and whispered something to Eames. Eames nodded and motioned for the pianist to start playing.

The familiar wedding march began and Dom ran back, telling James and Philippa to walk in and giving Philippa flowers to throw. James pouted, wanting to do something, so he gave him a pillow to carry. (He purposefully made sure that Arthur and Ariadne had the rings, just in case.)

Dom walked to Ariadne and held out his arm for her. "You ready?"

She nodded and laced her arm through his, walking through the doors. Eames and Yusuf smiled widely when they saw her. She looked beautiful. Arthur's eyes widened and his grin got bigger. He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. Not that she wasn't always beautiful.

Her white sundress was flowing as she walked. Her hair was curled with bobby pins holding up certain strands, but she left her hair down. She did her make up, a soft brown color was placed on her eyelids and Arthur could see eyeliner. He also noticed that she was wearing mascara and a light color of lip gloss.

She truly was glowing. Arthur was equally amazing. His gray suit with a white button up shirt was just a tad bit nicer than his normal three piece suits. He was wearing a grayish tie and his hair was parted to the side a little and slicked back. Ariadne noticed that he was fiddling with something in his pocket. His totem perhaps?

When she reached the front, Arthur stepped down to help her up the steps and took her hand.

"Ready?" He whispered, she smiled and nodded, all nervousness leaving her body.

* * *

The ceremony went fast. They each said their vows (which they wrote themselves) and slid the rings onto each other's fingers. Eames whistled loudly when Ariadne and Arthur kissed, and Yusuf threw rice at them as they walked out. James and Philippa chased them down the aisle, and Dom ran after James and Philippa.

Everything was going well. Ariadne and Arthur were now officially married, they got to celebrate it with loved ones, and now they were going to spend the day together. Arthur was sure today would be the best day of his life, that is until Ariadne collapsed.

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**:O Oh no! Cliffhanger! Evil, evil cliffhangers! What will happen next? Review and I may just get the next chapter up soon! :D And check out the links! let me know what you think of them too!**


	14. The Calm Before the Storm Part 2

**Yay! Another chapter up! Now you get to find out what happened...and the twist comes into play in this chapter...but things will become more clear later..dun dun dun! Haha. So thanks for all the reviews! It was so nice to wake up to find them! Read and review this chapter as well! **

**Nope...Inception isn't mine.

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Arthur panicked as he watched Ariadne lose her balance and stumble, before she could hit the ground he caught her, but he immediately shouted for Dom and Eames.

"Dom! Dom hurry!" Arthur shouted from the ground, cradling Ariadne's body. Dom and Eames ran out, Yusuf following with the children close behind.

"What happened?" Dom quickly asked, glancing back at the kids, hoping they wouldn't freak out.

"I don't know, we walked out and she just collapsed." Arthur explained, his voice getting higher.

Dom eyed Ariade and turned to Eames. "Get the van, we need to get to a hospital."

Eames nodded and hurried off the pull the van up. Yusuf knelt down beside Arthur and Ariadne, examining her quickly before standing back up and straightening up.

"She's still breathing and there aren't any signs of poisoning, so she should be fine, but just to be safe we better get to the hospital quickly."

Arthur was stroking Ariadne's hair gently and cradling her. He was pushing back the sob in his throat, wanting to stay strong. There couldn't be anything wrong with her, there just couldn't. If something were to happen to her, he didn't know what he'd do. They'd just gotten married. It was the beginning of their life together. She had to be ok. Just as Arthur was getting lost in his thoughts, Eames pulled up and Dom ushered the kids in first before helping get Ariadne in. Yusuf got in last, closing the door behind them as Eames sped off.

They arrived at the hospital within minutes, if Arthur hadn't been so worried, he'd be impressed. However now was not the time to be thinking about Eames driving. His gaze kept falling back on Ariadne; he kissed her softly and held her hand.

"You'll be fine." Arthur whispered more to himself than her.

He gently picked her up and carried her into the hospital hurrying in after Dom who had James and Philippa with him.

It took a few minutes before they got Ariadne into a room, but when they didn't allow Arthur in right away. As he was waiting for any news on her, he paced back and forth in front of Eames and Dom.

James and Philippa kept asking questions about Ariadne. "Daddy, what's wrong with Auntie Ari? Is she going to be ok?" Philippa asked first.

"Yeah, she's not sick is she?" James asked after Philippa. Dom looked at Arthur who tensed and turned to watch them.

Dom sighed and answered them. "Auntie Ari is getting checked by the doctors now. We'll find out what's wrong with her, but she'll be fine."

James and Philippa nodded and laid their heads on Dom's shoulders and fell asleep within minutes.

Dom turned to Arthur, careful not to wake the kids. "I'm sorry Arthur."

"Don't, it's fine. They're children, children ask questions." Arthur sat down across from Dom and rubbed his face, holding his head in his hands. Eames stood up and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"She'll be fine. She's a fighter." Eames encouraged him before walking off to find some food.

"I knew something was wrong, but she kept brushing it off, I should have questioned her more, paid more attention." Arthur mumbled.

"Hey, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault; it's not her fault. These things happen." Dom cut Arthur off before he could guilt himself into feeling responsible.

"Mr. Giordano, you may come see your wife now." A nurse walked out of the room and told him. Arthur stood up immediately and followed her in. he walked in to find Ariadne wide-awake. She smiled when Arthur walked in. Arthur stood there, afraid to walk in.

"You can come in you know." Ariadne smiled. Arthur sighed and rushed to her side, taking her hand in his.

"You had me so worried Ari, don't ever do that again." Arthur told her, nuzzling into her. She ran a hand through his hair and kissed the top of his head.

"I'm sorry." Ariadne whispered. Arthur looked up and kissed her.

"What's going on? And don't lie to me and tell me you're fine, obviously you're not." Arthur sternly looked at her. Ariadne looked down and twisted the sheet in her hands.

"I am fine." Ariadne answered.

"Ari, tell me the truth." Arthur warned.

She sighed. "Just don't freak out ok?"

"Freak out? Why? What's wrong?" Arthur was getting agitated. He sat up straight and looked her in the eye, searching for any type of fear or worry.

"Nothing's _wrong_." Ariadne answered, still avoiding answering him.

"Ari, just tell me." Arthur was growing impatient, he felt bad for getting angry with her, but he wouldn't stop worrying until he knew what was going on.

"I'm pregnant." She said so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"Wait, what?" Arthur asked, shocked. He stood up and looked at her.

"I'm pregnant." She replied, loud enough for him to hear clearly.

"You're pregnant." Arthur stated to himself.

"Arthur please don't freak out." Ariadne sat up and looked at him pleadingly, her heart rate increasing.

Arthur paced and turned to her. "I need a minute. I'll be back, I promise."

"Arthur don't go." Ariadne pleaded. Arthur kissed her and walked out of the room. He closed the door softly and sunk down it, inhaling deeply. Dom watched Arthur and moved the kids so he could get up and see what was going on.

"What happened? Is she ok?" Dom asked, suddenly worried. Arthur nodded.

"She's fine." Was his muffled response.

"Well what's going on?" Dom asked, glancing at the door and thinking about going in himself.

"She's pregnant."

"Whoa, didn't see that one coming." Dom murmured. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking about it." Arthur responded.

"And you just left her in there after she told you. Arthur what's wrong with you. Go in there and talk to her!" Dom angrily pulled him up and twisted the handle, pushing Arthur in.

As Arthur stumbled in he noticed Ariadne sobbing. Guilt suddenly washed over him and he walked over to her bed.

She felt the bed shift under Arthur as he sat on the bed. She refused to look at him, instead she watched as her tears left drops on the sheets.

"Ari. Ari, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have walked out like that. It was just so much to take in." Arthur apologized. Ariadne sniffed and finally turned her gaze to him.

"And you think I planned this Arthur?" Ariadne asked, her lips quivering. Arthur shook his head and opened his mouth to say something, but Ariadne cut him off.

"You think I wanted this to happen now? We're in so much danger right now, bringing a baby into the world is too complicated and dangerous. And going through a pregnancy while we're being followed and possibly have a death sentence on our heads was not my idea of an ideal pregnancy. No, Arthur I'm just as overwhelmed as you are." Ariadne was crying now. Arthur wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"There's always another option." Arthur suggested hesitantly.

"No." Ariadne quickly replied. She shook her head violently. "Despite the fact that we're in danger, I will not do that! This is my baby, your baby…our baby." She whispered.

Arthur nodded. "Ok, well we need to figure some things out. Settle the score with whoever is after us."

There was a knock on the door and Ariadne wiped her eyes as Arthur called for them to come in.

Dom entered and smiled softly at Ariadne. "I guess a congratulations is in order."

Ariadne's lips twitched in a small smile. "Thanks." She looked down and then at Arthur. Dom walked to Arthur and pulled him into a hug, moving to Ariadne and also giving her a hug.

"We'll get through this. It's time we settle the score with Cobol." Dom told them.

"Are you sure it's Cobol?" Arthur asked.

Dom nodded, "Eames went back to the house and found a card with Cobol on it. It was a warning for us."

"We need to leave. They know where we are now. We also have to change our appearances. Which means we need to go talk with Saito to see what he can do." Arthur told both of them.

"Change our appearances? How much?" Ariadne questioned nervously. She was never one for big change.

"Haircuts mostly. You may need to wear more make up, perhaps change your clothing." Dom answered for Arthur.

"Sorry." Arthur frowned.

"I guess I'll have to just deal." Ariadne crossed her arms and looked away.

"We all need to go buy some really nice clothes. If we're going to be seen publicly with Saito we need to look rich." Dom informed them. "We'll go shopping together it's safer that way. And once we get there we can leave James and Philippa under Saito's care. It will be safer for them."

"Once they release you from here we'll go." Arthur turned to Ariadne. She nodded and thought about how much she'd have to change her look. Sighing she figured she'd try to keep her hair as much the same as she could. In all honesty Cobol wouldn't know what she looks like, she was the safest of all of them.

"I'll call Eames and let him know the plan. I'll have him pack our bags and come pick us up, we'll fly out to Tokyo soon." Dom pulled out his phone and walked out of the room, dialing Eames' cell number.

* * *

The nurse came in and informed Ariadne of all she would need to know about pregnancy, she prescribed some prenatal vitamins and told her to take it as easy as she could.

Ariadne smiled and thanked the nurse. Arthur helped her change back into her clothes and walked slowly with her, making sure she was taking it easy.

"We need to get your vitamins before we leave." Arthur finally said after staring at her for five minutes.

"Yeah." Ariadne simply replied.

"Hey, everything will be fine. I'll keep you two safe." Arthur turned her to look at him, she nodded and let a few tears fall. Arthur pulled her to him and hugged her, rubbing her back gently and letting her cry into his suit.

A few minutes later Eames pulled up, Dom and the kids were in the middle row, Yusuf in the passenger seat, and Arthur helped Ariadne into the front row.

"Well, well, our Point Man managed to reproduce. Isn't that a shocker?" Eames joked trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up Eames." Arthur growled and Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"Eames just go. We need to get to the airport as soon as possible." Dom snapped, wanting to get his children to safety so they could find out what was going on and who was after them. He wanted to end this all.

Eames snickered and sped off. Little did they know that a suspicious brown-haired man was following them.

"Brendan, why are you following them?" Another man with Brendan asked.

"They didn't come through with the plans, and they have someone I want." Brendan sneered. "Now shut up and follow them. We can't lose them."

The other man nodded nervously and continued following them, pulling into the airport parking lot.

"I'm going to find out where they're going and I'll come find you. Then we'll follow them there. Soon enough they'll pay for not coming through, and for kidnapping the one person in my life who was important to me." Brendan scowled and walked off, leaving the man in the car alone.

* * *

Ariadne delicately walked out of the van, feeling tired, weak, and hungry. Arthur noticed this and told Dom he was going to take Ariadne to get some food. Dom nodded.

"Be sure to meet us at our gate. Be on time." Dom ordered and Arthur turned to him and raised his eyebrow. Dom chuckled. "Right, right, you're always early. Now go, get your lovely wife some food."

Arthur grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist protectively. Ariadne leaned into him for support, stifling a yawn.

"Things will be ok." Arthur finally said. Ariadne looked at him and sighed.

"You've told me that the whole way here Arthur."

"I know, it's just nice to hear it said out loud." Arthur shrugged. Ariadne nodded.

"You know, I think we'll do ok." Ariadne looked up defiantly and placed her hand on her stomach.

Arthur watched the movement and avoided her look. Nervously he placed his hand over hers.

"You know, soon I won't be so thin." She told him. Arthur shook his head.

"That doesn't matter to me."

"You're not going to tell me that I won't be fat, but pregnant?" Ariadne asked playfully.

"Do you want me to say that?" Arthur raised his eyebrows in question and Ariadne laughed.

"No, I'm just teasing you." Her stomach growled and she looked at the food stands longingly.

"Let's get you two some food." Arthur smirked.

"You two? I like that." Ariadne giddily replied and followed him to the nearest food stand.

Brendan watched Arthur and Ariadne, a scowl on his face. He shook his head and followed them as discreetly as possible, but it didn't go unnoticed by Arthur. He tightened his grip on Ariadne and led her to their gate, waiting for Dom, Eames, Yusuf, and the kids.

"Arthur, I see you're early." Eames grinned.

"As always." Arthur smirked. Ariadne giggled and happily ate down her food.

"Hey, so everyone's here." Dom said, looking over everyone. Yusuf was standing behind Eames, his eyes darting nervously around.

Arthur stood up and walked to Dom, whispering in his ear. "We're being followed."

Dom stiffened and looked around. "Who?"

"A man in khaki's, a gray button up shirt, and with wavy brown hair." Arthur described to Dom. Dom looked around subtly and spotted him.

"I see him." Dom sighed. "Stick close we should be fine."

Arthur nodded and moved back next to Ariadne. Ariadne smiled and offered him a bite of her sandwich. He grinned and took a big bite.

"Hey not that big!" Ariadne protested and pulled the sandwich away from him.

Arthur chuckled as James and Philippa ran over to them. "Uncle Artie can I sit on your lap?" James asked, pouting his lip and giving him puppy eyes. Arthur looked at Ariadne helplessly and nodded.

"You're such a sap. You're going to give in so easily to this little one." Ariadne whispered, motioning to her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah." Arthur rolled his eyes playfully and smiled. It was true, he was going to be such a sap.

Philippa looked jealously at James. "I want to sit on your lap too!" Arthur chuckled and helped her up.

"Hey, you guys are hogging him from me." Ariadne joked.

"Well he's our Uncle Artie!" James defended. Ariadne laughed.

"Well he's my Arthur." Ariadne shot back.

"Fine we can share." James gave in. Ariadne giggled and leaned her head on Arthur shoulder, watching as he played with James and Philippa. She smiled, knowing that he would do just fine at being a dad.

Dom was watching the man carefully and noticed that another man joined him and gave him a ticket.

"This isn't good." He thought out loud. Eames turned to look at him and Dom motioned his head towards the two men.

"We're being followed." Dom informed him. Eames frowned and looked at Arthur and Ariadne.

"I'll keep an eye on the lovebirds."

Dom nodded and watched his kids. "Yusuf can take care of himself and you can watch your kids." Eames said, following his gaze.

"Thanks." Dom answered as their flight was called. The boarded the plane and silently sat there. Only Ariadne and the kids falling asleep.

"He's on our flight." Dom leaned forward and whispered to Arthur. Arthur nodded.

"I saw him heading to first class." Arthur replied and looked at Eames who was staring intently down the aisle.

"What?" Dom noticed Eames frown.

"He just came out of first class to head to the bathroom. Don't they have their own bathroom?" Eames asked suspiciously.

"He's checking up on us. Keep an eye out ok?" Arthur said, turning to Ariadne and putting an arm around her, keeping her close.

"We'll try to lose them in Tokyo." Dom replied and leaned back, his gaze falling on his sleeping children.

He closed his eyes, trusting that Eames was staying on the lookout. When he opened his eyes again, they were getting ready to land.

As they were landing her looked at Arthur who had an anxious look on his face. Arthur knew that this was the calm before the storm. Things were about to get worse, much, much worse.

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**So what'd you think? Most of you knew what was wrong with Ariadne...kudos to you! But will everything be alright? That is the question...leave reviews please and I'll try to get the next chapter up really soon! **


	15. The Spotting

**Alright, next chapter up. It's a little more of a filler, but things are starting to get a little heated. After the dinner things will get a lot more heated, so be prepared! Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I'm glad you like the story! Read and review!**

**Non, rien rien, non je ne regrette rien...I don't own this awesome song either, so don't think that I own Inception!

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As they departed the plane, all of them were on high alert. Arthur made sure to keep Ariadne close and Dom was holding one child in each arm. He couldn't risk them being taken now. Eames stay closer to Arthur and Ariadne and Yusuf was trailing closely behind Dom.

As soon as they were outside the airport, a huge black limo was there waiting for them. Saito was sitting inside patiently, waiting for all of them to make their way into his expensive vehicle.

"Ah, Mr. Cobb. Good to see you again, unfortunately it has to be under these unfortunate circumstances." Saito greeted Dom.

"Actually it's Oliaro. We need to keep our aliases while we are traveling. Until we can sort things out with Cobol, we have to go by our aliases." Dom corrected Saito.

Saito nodded and turned to Eames. "Who's the tourist now?"

Eames snickered and held out his hand. "Touche."

Ariadne chuckled and Arthur shook his head. "And I see that you two are now married. Congratulations." Saito turned to them and smiled, eyeing Ariadne. Ariadne turned to Arthur and beamed.

"Thank you."

"Enough chat, we need to get to a safe place, go shopping, and change our appearances. As soon as we have all of that done we can meet again." Dom quickly changed the subject, ready to get into things.

Saito nodded. "I will take you to my hotel, security is extra tight there, you shouldn't have to worry. Then I'll have my men drop you off at one of my stores and you can get what you like."

"Thank you." Dom nodded, watching as his children looked out the windows wide-eyed.

"I'm going to have to cut my hair." Arthur whispered to Ariadne. Her head snapped up and she looked at him, her eyes wide.

"Arthur, are you sure?" Ariadne practically shrieked, but lowered her voice when the others looked at her. She blushed. "Sorry." She turned back to Arthur and he nodded.

"It will grow back. And it's necessary." Arthur replied. Ariadne ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Just how short are you planning on cutting it?" She asked nervously.

"Pretty short. A comb won't be necessary." Arthur answered. She gasped quietly.

"I'm going to miss your hair." She frowned and ruffled his hair playfully. "You better give me some time to spend with it." She joked.

"I won't cut it until tomorrow if you like." Arthur offered. She nodded and began playing with her hair. "I'll have to cut mine too. Try something different."

"Just don't cut it too short." Arthur begged. Ariadne smiled.

"I don't think I could handle that." Ariadne said, shaking her head and looking at Dom.

"Dom, are you cutting your hair?" She asked. Dom narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you kidding? I've had this hair since I was like twelve. There's no way I'm changing it now."

Ariadne had to keep herself from laughing. That sure was a long time to keep his hair the same. She shook her head and looked at Eames.

Eames shook his head. "Darling, you don't mess with a British's hair. Besides, it's already short as it is. There's not much more I can do to it besides going bald, which I will never do."

Arthur laughed and Eames glared at him. "Sorry, that was just a funny picture. I say you give it a try."

Eames scowled and turned to Yusuf. "Yusuf here will have to cut his hair."

"What?" Yusuf looked shocked.

"Sorry love, but you're going to have to. Seeing as two of us aren't and the other two are. You're the only one left."

Yusuf shuddered then nodded. "Fine." He crossed his arms and ignored everyone the rest of the way.

* * *

Once they arrived at the hotel, Ariadne quickly made her way to their room and collapsed on the bed.

"Ugh! I'm so tired. Do we have to go shopping today?" Ariadne whined.

Arthur frowned. "Why? Are you not feeling well?" He sat down next to her and stroked her hair.

"I'm fine. Just tired and hungry. Ooh, let's get food!" Ariadne sat up, a little too quickly, and stumbled. Arthur was at her side immediately, steadying her.

"I stood up too fast, I'm fine." Ariadne assured him. Arthur eyed her suspiciously before finally letting her go. She walked into the bathroom and cleaned up before coming out.

There was a knock on the door as she exited the bathroom. Arthur opened it.

"Are you guys ready?" He asked, stepping into the room. Ariadne nodded to Arthur and Arthur turned to Dom.

"Yes, can we stop and get food. She's hungry." Dom looked at Ariadne and she looked down blushing.

Dom grinned. "Sure. I remember those days." He chuckled as he turned to walk out, both Arthur and Ariadne close behind him.

"Are you ready to get the treatment of the rich and famous?" Eames asked gleefully. Ariadne shook her head, the most she'd ever dressed up was at the wedding. And even then it wasn't that much.

"I'll help you pick something out." Eames winked at her. Arthur glared.

"Uh, no you will not." He sneered.

"Yes I will, she needs something that will hug her curves and bring out her eyes." Eames grinned.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Ariadne asked, raising her eyebrow at Eames.

"No. You're going to love it, besides you need to show off your curves before the baby bump starts to show." Eames declared.

Ariadne glared at him, she smacked him on the stomach.

"Oomf! What was that for?" Eames turned to her shocked. Arthur had to keep the grin off his face, but failed miserably.

"For reminding me that I'm going to be fat!" Ariadne retorted.

"Should've kept your mouth shut." Dom told Eames, also grinning. "Ignore Eames, he's an idiot." Dom told Ariadne. Ariadne sighed and shook her head.

"He's right though. Let's just get this over with." Ariadne slouched. Arthur grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together.

"How about I pick how you get your hair cut? You'll love it, trust me." Arthur whispered into her ear. She nodded.

"Do you know how long it took me to grow out my hair? I'm not looking forward to cutting it that's for sure."

"You'll look beautiful either way." Arthur grinned.

Eames spotted the perfect dress for Ariadne. All of them couldn't deny that she would look amazing in it. It was a light green dress that had a slit just above her collarbone. It was tightly fit and just a little shorter than knee length. Ariadne was reluctant at trying it on at first, but she had to admit she did like it.

When she came out all the men grinned, Arthur walking up to her he ushered her to a mirror.

"I gotta say, Eames does have good taste."

Ariadne laughed and turned sideways, liking the way it looked. "I guess I'm set then."

"Alright."

Ariadne helped the men find their suits. Arthur's was a gray color with a charcoal button up shirt and a gray bowtie. His shoes were black and just as shiny as the rest he owned. Ariadne smiled as she watched as Arthur checked himself in the mirror. He never ceased to amaze her. He managed to make everything look good, and him in a suit was something she would never get tired of. It's what made Arthur, Arthur.

Ariadne noticed the way his suit fit him perfectly. It wasn't too baggy or too tight, and she knew that helping him find his suit was a good idea. She could enjoy that later.

Eames had a dark gray suit with a matching striped button up shirt. His shoes were also black. Ariadne grinned. Eames could look just as sophisticated as Arthur if he wanted to, but he chose not to.

Dom found a black suit with a white button up shirt and black skinny tie. Ariadne admired the fact that Dom could pull off a suit and looked great. Had he been younger, hadn't had children, and hadn't lost his wife tragically; he would have been someone she'd be interested in. But when she turned back to Arthur, she knew that she wouldn't want to be with anyone else.

Yusuf managed to find a tan suit with a white button up shirt and brown shoes. Ariadne was satisfied with her choice. Yusuf even showed gratitude in her taste. Giving her a small smile he changed back into his clothes and waited for everyone else to finish up.

They all looked great. And Ariadne was impressed with how amazing they all looked. Saito met up with them after they finished shopping and smiled at their choices.

"Great taste." He complimented them. He turned to Ariadne. "Let's get you to the salon and have your hair cut. Arthur's turn will have to be later unfortunately, as well as Yusuf's."

Ariadne sighed and looked at Arthur. "I'm coming with you guys. I have something in mind." Arthur told Saito. Saito nodded and led them to his car.

"You can go with my men, they'll take you back to the hotel. Dom your kids are safe there."

Dom nodded and got into the other car with Eames and Yusuf. He waved to them and gave Arthur a look saying, "watch your back." Arthur's head moved barely and Dom sighed. He didn't like the idea of them splitting up.

Arthur looked over his shoulder and saw the man that had been following them at the airport. Once in the car he turned to Saito.

"We need to lose a tail, we've been followed since the airport." Arthur told him.

"What?" Ariadne shrieked. "And you failed to tell me this why?"

Saito watched them. "We'll lose them." He turned to his driver and spoke to him in Japanese.

"I'm sorry, but you just got out of the hospital and I wanted to save you the stress." Arthur explained, trying to calm her down.

Ariadne glared at him. "Where is he? I want to see what he looks like."

Arthur hesitated. "Tell me!" Ariadne demanded.

Arthur sighed and gave in. "He's behind us. Brown wavy hair. Khaki pants. Button up shirt."

Ariadne turned around and paled. Arthur noticed this and turned her towards him.

"Ari? Have you seen him before?" He asked. Ariadne shook her head. "Are you sure?"

"How much farther to the salon?" Ariadne asked Saito, avoiding Arthur's question. Arthur frowned, he knew she was hiding something from him, but decided to let it slide. They could talk about it later, in their hotel room.

"About ten minutes. If we lose the tail." Saito told her.

Ariadne leaned back and sighed. She crossed her arms and looked out the window, afraid of what she'd have to tell Arthur.

* * *

They finally lost their tail, and Ariadne was nervous about cutting her hair. Arthur told the stylist how to cut it and Ariadne waited nervously to see the outcome. When the stylist was done, she gasped. She actually liked her haircut.

Her bangs were cut and parted to the side, her hair was shoulder length, but they had put it up into a bun for her, leaving a face frame framing her delicate face. Soon after her hair cut, a make up artist came in and did her make up. She had smokey eyes and here eyeliner was darker than she'd ever had it before, but it looked good.

Arthur stared at her, unbelief taking over him. She truly was beautiful and he was glad she was all his. Saito smiled and led them out to the car again.

"Time to get ready for the press conference. We'll get dinner afterwards." Saito informed them. Ariadne nodded and looked over her shoulder worriedly, afraid of being confronted by the man, a man she hadn't seen in years.

Arthur noticed Ariadne's distant look and wondered just who exactly was following them that would cause her to become so frazzled. He sighed and checked over his shoulder too, but there was no sight of the man.

* * *

"Who does he think he is being with her?" Brendan angrily shouted at his assistant. "She is blind. She doesn't know what she's getting herself into. It's not safe to be in a relationship with him. Does she not know the price on his head? What he's done?"

Brendan's assistant recoiled in fear and shook his head, only hoping not to get hit by him. Brendan stalked off and thought of his plan. He would kidnap her if he could. It's the only way to keep her safe.

"Don't worry Ari, I'll protect you from him. Arthur doesn't have what it takes to take care of you. He's too dangerous." Brendan said to himself as he planned out his scheme.

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**Hmmmm...so who exactly is this mysterious Brendan? Stay tuned to find out...in the next few chapters...but for now review and let me know what you think! Oh and if you want to see what they look like, I have links on my profile...enjoy!**


	16. The Premiere Gone Wrong

**This chapter was intense to write! Whoo! Starts off fluffy, the bam! Drama! What will happen! Thanks for all the reviews! I always get really excited to see what you have to say and I get encouraged when you guys give me feedback. Thank you all! Now here's the next chapter! Read it and let me know what you think. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! But classes get in the way of writing, so we'll see what happens! Of course I can't leave you hanging either. So read and review!**

**I want to own Inception...I could really use a wish right now...(I dont own that song either)

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After arriving back at the hotel, Saito informed Arthur and Ariadne that the hair stylist would be up in their room at 7 PM sharp. Arthur nodded and picked up Ariadne's bags, guiding her into their room.

Dom knocked on their door not long after they arrived.

"Were you followed?" He whispered, glancing at Ariadne and back at Arthur. Arthur nodded and turned away from Ariadne.

"I think Ariadne's seen him before or knows him. She's been acting strange since she spotted him." Arthur told Dom.

"You told her!" Dom hissed.

"I had to, she deserves to know. We all do." Arthur countered.

Dom sighed. "Alright, but you weren't followed here?"

"No, I didn't see him after we left the salon. So we should be fine, but we need to keep our eyes out for him at this premiere thing Saito wants us at." Arthur sighed and shook his head. He didn't think publicity or attention was good for them, but Saito assured them they would be safe, so they agreed.

"Ok, well keep in touch. If anything suspicious shows up call me and make sure to let the others know. I'm going to be with the kids, but I'll meet you in the lobby at 7:45." Dom informed Arthur. Arthur turned back to Ariadne and closed the door, nodding his head slightly at Dom in the process.

"Ari, you ok?" Arthur finally asked. Ariadne looked up at him and smiled.

"Yes. I can't believe you're going to cut your hair. I don't want you to." Ariadne pouted and ran her fingers through his hair. The motion causing him to close his eyes and lean into her touch.

"I know, but in order to stay safe it's best that we alter our appearances. Some of us are more stubborn than others though. But I want to keep you two safe, so it's necessary." Arthur mumbled, his eyes still closed.

Ariadne leaned in and kiss him softly, enjoying just being alone with Arthur. Arthur deepened the kiss, but as the kiss grew more and more passionate he pulled back. Ariadne let out a muffled sigh in protest.

"Don't stop."

"But your hair." Arthur gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Work around it." Ariadne said, pulling Arthur in for the kiss. "I told you I want to spend time with you and your hair before it goes." She whispered breathlessly.

Arthur smiled into the kiss and pulled her on top of him. "As you wish."

Ariadne giggled and soon they were fumbling with clothes.

* * *

Ariadne's hair managed to stay intact despite the actions that went on. The only thing she had to fix was her make up. Arthur chuckled as he thought about what happened.

"I guess we did work around your hair." Arthur told her. She grinned and sat next to him.

"Your hair is another story." She said, her eyes roaming over his figure. His hair was disheveled and sticking up in different directions. "Too bad it's going to be gone soon." Ariadne sighed.

"It'll grow back." Arthur shrugged, although he really didn't want to cut his hair, he just knew that it as crucial.

There was a knock on the door and Ariadne frowned. "Murderer." She muttered. Arthur laughed and opened the door.

"Ah you must be the hair stylist." Arthur ushered the man in.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Killing this beautiful hair." Ariadne scolded. Arthur scrunched his eyebrows together and looked at her.

"Don't mind her, she's just upset my hair has to go." Arthur apologized. Ariadne grumbled and walked into the bathroom, deciding to get dressed. She'd rather not see his hair get chopped off.

Ariadne quickly pulled out her dress and admired it before putting it on. She fixed her hair a little more and checked her make up. Happy with the results she pulled out her high heels and debated putting them on now or later. She heard some mumbling out in the room and opened the door slightly to hear what was going on.

"Thank you." Arthur was saying as he closed the door.

Ariadne, afraid to see what he looked like, closed the door and inhaled, allowing the air to calm her down. She heard a quiet knock on the door and moved away from the door quickly.

"Come in." She replied timidly. Arthur opened the door and slid in gracefully. Ariadne didn't look at him and Arthur sighed.

"Ari." He touched her shoulder and she turned around slowly. She finally met his gaze and her eyes widened. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. It was definitely a different look, but it didn't look half bad. She started laughing and Arthur looked at her confused.

"Care to tell me what's so funny?" Arthur asked, blushing and running his hand over his short hair.

"Nothing. It's just not as bad as I thought it would be." She said as she laughed. "Come here."

Arthur stepped closer to her and she rubbed her hand over his soft fuzz. Arthur watched her facial expressions, taking in every detail as she examined him. Her smile didn't falter and her eyes were twinkling.

"It's cute." Ariadne finally said.

"I don't do cute." Arthur protested.

"Too late, you're cute!" Ariadne's grin widened.

"You're asking for it!" Arthur playfully threatened.

"Maybe…" Ariadne trailed off and turned around. "…cutie!" She called over her shoulder.

"That's it." Arthur laughed and grabbed Ariadne and gently pulled her out of the bathroom, pushing her gently on the bed. He then proceeded to tickle her.

"Arthur! Arthur stop! Please!" Ariadne gasped between laughter.

"Are you taking it back?" Arthur questioned, his hands stopping for a moment.

"NO! It's true! You're my cutie!" Ariadne shouted as Arthur began tickling her again. "Arthur please!"

Arthur smiled and leaned closer to her, placing chaste kisses on her face. Ariadne, catching her breath, closed her eyes and allowed herself to lay back, her hair shifting in the process.

Arthur watched as his wife calmed down and laid back, he crawled next to her, placing his hand on her stomach and softly caressing it. Ariadne opened her eyes and watched as Arthur leaned in and kissed her stomach, tears forming in her eyes she smiled.

"You messed up my hair." Ariadne decided to say, not wanting to ruin the moment, but knowing that they had to finish getting ready. Arthur grinned.

"See what happens when you call me cute."

Ariadne rolled her eyes. She got up and Arthur followed her into the bathroom. He watched as she fixed her hair and smoothed down her dress.

"I never told you how beautiful you look in that dress…" Arthur eyed her. She turned to him and looked down, blushing.

"Thank you." Ariadne looked up as Arthur moved closer and leaned in to kiss her.

"You don't look half bad yourself." She replied, smiling.

Arthur looked down at his suit and straightened his jacket. "I thought I looked pretty good, if I do say so myself." He joked. Ariadne shook her head.

"No, but seriously. You look beautiful. And your haircut…it's gorgeous." Arthur whispered into her ear. She shivered and jumped as a knock was heard on the door.

"Stop being like bunnies for one minute and come out here!" Eames shouted from outside. Arthur groaned and grabbed his wallet and keys. Ariadne grabbed her small clutch and followed Arthur out the door.

"Well well, you clean up nicely." Eames teased Arthur, rubbing his head and chuckling.

"Hey! You couldn't touch the hair before, you can't touch it now!" Arthur slapped at Eames' hand. Eames grinned and turned to Ariadne, bowing and taking her hand and kissing it.

"And you look quite lovely my dear." He winked at her and led the way to the elevator. Arthur wrapped his arm around Ariadne and winked, kissing her temple.

"So are you ready to live the life of the rich and famous?" Eames asked.

"No. I don't think this is a good idea." Arthur admitted. Eames' expression became sober.

"Neither do I, but don't tell anyone I agreed with you." Eames agreed and playfully joked.

"Is publicity safe? I mean, the people following is will know what we all look like and where to find us." Ariadne asked, her gaze becoming hard as she thought of the man following them.

"Saito claims we'll be safe, but they're no guarantees. I want you to stay close to me ok?" Arthur told her.

"And I'll watch your backs too." Eames declared, putting an arm around Arthur and Ariadne.

* * *

Dom and Yusuf were waiting in the lobby for them. Dom smiled when he saw Arthur's haircut and Ariadne's dress.

"Nice haircut." Dom nudged Arthur and turned to Ariadne. "And you look stunning."

"Thank you." Ariadne smiled shyly.

"How does it feel?" Dom asked, motioning to Arthur's hair.

"Weird." Arthur confessed.

Dom snickered. "Yeah, I bet. And how do you like it Ariadne?"

"I think it makes him look…" Ariadne grinned and Arthur glared at her. "…sophisticated." Arthur breathed a sigh of relief and Eames eyed him suspiciously

"Good. Shall we?" Dom asked. Just as they walked out of the hotel Saito's limo pulled up. Saito's assistant got out and opened the door for them. Ariadne slid in first, followed by Arthur, Eames, Dom, and Yusuf.

"You all look nice." Saito complimented them. "Good, because there will be plenty of pictures."

"What?" Dom's head snapped up.

"Yes, you'll be seen as my guests, my friends. So naturally you will be in pictures."

Arthur groaned inwardly and Ariadne sighed. Eames grinned like a mad man, and Yusuf fiddled with his suit nervously.

* * *

When they arrived, there already were a lot of flashes from the cameras. Saito slid out first, waving and bowing as pictures were being taken. Yusuf got out of the limo and tried to avoid getting pictures taken, but someone managed to take two or three shots. Dom got out nervously. He didn't like taking pictures, especially knowing that his reputation was well known.

Fortunate for him, Eames stepped out of the limo and began posing. He took all the attention off of Dom and grinned as a few girls swooned when he winked at them. Eames pulled out some glasses and put them on, despite the fact that it was well into the night.

Ariadne and Arthur exited the limo last. A lot of the women that were swooning over Eames turned and gasped when they saw Arthur. With the attention no longer on him, Eames walked inside, grumbling about Arthur being a pretty boy.

Ariadne noticed the women giggling and shrieking over Arthur, so she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his. Catching on to what she was doing, Arthur lifted her left hand and kissed it, just below where her rings were. The girls moaned and began whispering to each other, glaring at Ariadne.

Arthur noticed this and turned her towards him. He put one hand on her waist and the other on her elbow smiling widely at her as her look turned into one of shock with his swift movement. He didn't even notice a picture being taken of their intimate moment. When another flash went off, Arthur turned towards the camera and Ariadne turned to another one, not sure which camera to look at.

Arthur pulled her closer to him, his arm wrapped around her and his hand gently resting on her waist. They smiled as someone shouted 'say cheese' to them and took their picture. They barely had time to move before another photo was taken. Another one was taken right after that and Ariadne was becoming overwhelmed with it all. Arthur, noticing this, turned her towards him and put his hand on her back, pulling her arm and allowing her to place her hand just under his chin. He laughed and gently grabbed her elbow, deciding to kiss her.

The crowd both cheered and booed. The girls jealous of Ariadne sneered at her, but she didn't care. Arthur was about to place his hand on her stomach, but thought it best to not let that secret get out. The less they knew about that, the better.

Saito ushered them in quickly and made sure no photographers would be allowed in. Ariadne looked flustered and Dom frowned.

"Are you alright?"

"It's all so overwhelming. And it's hot." Ariadne answered. Arthur frowned and made sure she got a glass of water before ordering.

* * *

At the table all of them were laughing and enjoying their dinner. Ariadne felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.

"Excuse me miss." The voice said. Ariadne gasped and spilled her glass of water. Arthur stood up and stepped in front of her.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." The man threatened, pointing a gun at him. Arthur didn't back down though. Dom saw the gun and thought of a way to get rid of it, but four other men snuck up behind them.

"You see, if you resist, my men will just shoot you all. All I want is for Ariadne to come with me." The man sneered, looking at Ariadne and glaring at Arthur.

"Brendan don't do this!" Ariadne pleaded, her heart pounding and tears forming in her eyes.

"Then come with me!" Brendan shouted. People turned to look at the scene going on in front of them, but when two more men walked in with guns, the crowd quieted and continued to eat.

"You know him?" Arthur growled and forced himself in front of her as Brendan tried to get to her.

"Yes." She whispered. Arthur could feel the anger burning in him, but he remained calm.

"Care to explain?" Arthur asked as everyone else at the table tried to figure out what to do.

"He's my brother." Ariadne replied, tears falling down her face freely now.

"This, psycho, is your brother?" Arthur growled, ready to punch him.

"Ah, you see, I work for Cobol. I'm their hitman. Unfortunately things are twisted and my little sister is involved with a thief, a criminal!" Brendan scowled and punched Arthur in the stomach. Arthur gasped and fell down, trying desperately to protect Ariadne.

"Come on little sis. You're coming with me. You're not safe with them and I'm not losing you again." Brendan grabbed Ariadne by the arm and she cried out. Arthur stood up and punched Brendan just as Dom and Eames lunged at the other men, knocking them out and taking their guns. While the other men rushed after them, they shot them and watched in horror as Arthur and Brendan struggled with a gun. There was a gunshot and everyone stopped, fear, shock, and disbelief on their faces.

"Oh no." Dom and Eames whispered.

* * *

**Evil, I know...I hate cliffhangers, and yet, I love them too...review please! Oh and you can see pictures of Arthur and Ariadne's poses on my profile...just look for the chapter and the link! **


	17. The Tragic Events

**Ok, here's the next chapter...it's much shorter because I want to see what you guys think should happen...so when you review let me know what you want to see happen...Thanks for all the reviews! **

**Inception isn't mine. End of story.

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"Oh no." Dom and Eames whispered, staring at the scene in front of them.

Arthur and Brendan froze, turning to look at Ariadne. Her eyes were wide and she was holding her stomach. Crimson was seeping through her dress and she gasped.

"Arthur."

Arthur let go of the gun he was struggling for with Brendan and clutched her as she collapsed in his arms.

"Ari, Ari don't do this to me! Come on!" Arthur cried, pulling her against him and rocking her gently. She lifted her hand up and gently touched his face.

"Baby sis!" Brendan knelt down next to her, wanting to get as close as he could to her. Arthur glared at him and pulled her away from him.

"Get away from her! This is all your fault!" Arthur yelled. Brendan didn't flinch as Arthur snapped at him and made angry remarks to him. All he cared about was taking care of his little sister.

"My fault! This is your fault! If she weren't with a criminal like you, this wouldn't have happened." Brendan retorted.

"We were doing just fine until you guys decided to show up. Cobol is responsible for this. And if my wife and baby die, Cobol won't hear the end of it from me. I won't be the least of their concerns." Arthur threatened as he heard sirens in the background.

"Wife? Baby?" Brendan asked quietly. "Ari, I'm so sorry." He whispered to her.

Ariadne up weakly at Brendan. "Why did you leave me in the first place?" She managed to choke out.

"Save your energy Ari." Arthur told her, tracing her lips with his fingers. She shook her head slightly. Brendan just stared at her, not wanting to answer anything, especially with her in so weak a condition.

"I had no choice." He finally answered.

"You always have a choice. Isn't that what you used to tell me? But you left me Brendan…"Ariadne trailed off, starting to lose consciousness.

"Ari! Ariadne! Stay with me! Stay with me!" Arthur frantically began shouting. He kept some pressure on her stomach, hoping that she wasn't bleeding to death and that their baby survived.

"I'm sorry, Ari." Brendan replied before standing up. Eames and Dom grabbed him before he can go anywhere.

"Where do you think you're going buddy?" Dom asked angrily, his grip tightening.

"Yeah, you're under our supervision now. You're going to talk." Eames growled, glancing at Arthur and Ariadne on the floor. He swore he saw tears in Arthur's eyes, but decided to not say anything. The situation was too serious.

Brendan refused to talk, his eyes were trained on his bleeding sister. Eames shook him and Brendan snapped back into focus.

"You're going to tell us everything." Eames threatened.

Brendan just glared at him, but didn't attempt to escape. Dom took this as a sign of surrender and turned to Saito who's body guards were now surrounding the area.

"Get Ariadne into the ambulance." We're going to need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible." Saito told Arthur. Arthur nodded and carefully lifted her up. Ariadne whimpered, but didn't wake.

Arthur joined Ariadne in the ambulance. He held her hand as the men worked on keeping her breathing and stopping the bleeding. Arthur hoped that she would make this, and their baby would survive.

As he thought about Brendan his fist clenched and he had to control himself from turning and punching something.

* * *

Dom and Eames escorted Brendan into Saito's limo. Saito and his bodyguards followed close behind and people watched in fear as they left the restaurant.

"What is your job here?" Dom viciously asked, keeping a firm grasp on Brendan.

"That's for me to know!" Brendan sneered.

"Well now that Ariadne's hurt it's our business too." Eames snapped.

Brendan slumped in defeat. "I'll tell you everything once we're somewhere safe." He whispered.

Dom nodded and turned to look at Eames. His eyes were worried and Dom frowned. Both Ariadne and her baby were in extreme danger now, and they wouldn't find out if they survived until Arthur called.

* * *

They arrived at the hotel and Dom yanked Brendan out of the car, Brendan stumbled but quickly caught his balance. Eames walked closely behind Brendan, attempting to intimidate him.

Dom didn't want to bring Brendan into his room, or anywhere near his children, so Eames quickly agreed they use his room as an interrogation room.

Eames shoved Brendan into a chair and pointed a gun at him.

"What's your job!" Eames growled.

Brendan just stared until Eames clicked off the safety on the gun.

"Alright, alright." He relented. "Cobol hired me five years ago, after my parents died. I left without telling anyone because this job was too great to decline and Ariadne would be in danger if she knew too much." Brendan began his tale.

Dom and Eames nodded for him to go on. Brendan sighed.

"I didn't do much at first, just background checks, undercover assignments, and observations. A few months ago they hired a few men to extract information on some Asian man. I don't remember his name at the moment, they were very hush-hush about it. They failed the mission, and there was a price on their heads. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about." Brendan turned to Dom, raising his eyebrows. Dom just stared at him blankly.

"Continue." Eames snarled.

"I was assigned to capture them, but one of them managed to escape me and my men in Mombasa. We've been keeping tabs on him since. And when we found out that he successfully performed inception, we wanted to hire him so he could teach us. Unfortunately my sister had to get caught up in all of this." Brendan finished the story.

"You've been following me the whole time?" Dom roared. He was fuming, just the thought of them spying on him and knowing where his children were made him angry.

"Yes. We've only been keeping tabs on you and Arthur. My men were stupid enough to not tell me about Ari right away, and now she's in the hospital because of you!"

"You're the one who shot her!" Eames shouted angrily.

"Arthur was holding the gun!" Brendan defended.

"I saw your finger on the trigger, despite what you think, you're the one who shot her. Have you no guilt? Ariadne could not only lose her baby, but also her life, all because of you." Eames said through gritted teeth.

Brendan glared at Eames, not wanting to admit anything. His little sister could be dying and here he was arguing with two men he was assigned to capture and later kill.

"I want to see her." Brendan finally said.

"No!" Eames turned around and sat on a chair directly across from him.

"He deserves to, Eames. She's his sister." Dom told him quietly.

"What? No! Arthur won't be happy about this!" Eames whispered loudly to Dom, not caring if Brendan heard or not.

"I know, I'll talk to him. If Ariadne survives this, let her make the decision." Dom replied gravely.

Eames knew Dom was right. They were family and she deserved to see him. But by all means, if Brendan did something to hurt her or upset her, he would rip him apart, slowly and painfully.

"Fine. Once Arthur fills us in, we'll take you to see her." Eames told Brendan rudely.

Brendan nodded once and frowned. The room fell silent as they all thought about Ariadne.

* * *

Arthur paced in the hallway. They wouldn't let him in the emergency room with Ariadne, no matter how much he begged, pleaded, and threatened them. Now all he could do was wait.

He hated having to wait. Not knowing if Ariadne was ok or if their baby was ok. He would be devastated if she didn't survive and he knew that if she survived and lost the baby she would be even more devastated.

He leaned against the wall, slid down it, rubbed his face, and held his head in his hands, letting out a deep sigh.

"Mr. Giordano." A nurse came out and got Arthur.

"How's my wife?" Arthur asked, getting past the fake politeness. He wanted to know if his family was alright.

* * *

**So...cliffhanger again, but I wanted to end it here to see what you guys think should happen...Ariadne ok? The baby ok? Just Ariadne ok...leave your reviews and let me know so I can get started on the next chapter! Thanks for reading! **


	18. The Hospital Visit

**Ok, here is the next chapter...I'm still unsure of how I want this to go right now, so I left it where it is for a reason while I figure things out. Review and let me know what you think! Thanks to all of you who have been reading and reviewing! It's helping me out a lot! :D**

**I own nothing but the plot. Inception is all Christopher Nolan's.

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"Mr. Giordano." A nurse came out to get Arthur. Arthur quickly stood up and shuffled over to the nurse, anxiety written all over his face.

"How's my wife?" Arthur asked not bothering gaining his composure. All he wanted to know if his family was all right.

"She's in critical condition, but she's stable." The nurse replied gravely.

"And the…the baby?" Arthur was almost afraid to ask.

The nurse looked at him sadly. "The baby is ok, but it may not make it."

Arthur forced down a sob, he couldn't let himself break down. He needed to be strong for Ariadne, especially if there was a good chance that their baby might not survive.

"Can I see her?" Arthur finally asked. The nurse nodded.

"This way. She's asleep right now, but when she wakes up I'm sure she'll want you to be there. If anything happens call us immediately. It could be her miscarrying." The nurse informed him.

Arthur nodded again, remorse slowly taking over. He walked into the small white room and his gaze fell on Ariadne's sleeping form. She looked extremely pale, and there was a bandage on her stomach. Arthur finally broke down. Loud sobs escaped his throat as he sat down next to Ariadne and gently picked up her hand, kissing it softly.

He felt her fingers twitch slightly and his head snapped up. Ariadne made a small noise before opening her eyes. She looked at Arthur weakly and flinched when she tried to move.

"Hey, careful. You don't need to move." Arthur told her softly. Ariadne blinked a few times and nodded. Her eyes widened as she remembered what happened and her gaze fell to her stomach.

"Arthur, the baby." Ariadne worriedly looked at Arthur, the question in her eyes.

"They say the baby might not make it." Arthur told her sadly. Ariadne bit her lip and let a small sob escape her. Cringing in pain, she gripped her stomach lightly. Arthur stood up and held her hand anxiously.

"Ari?"

"My stomach's sore." Ariadne told him. Arthur nodded and sat back down, still ready to get the nurse if he needed to.

"Where's everyone?" Ariadne asked, trying to take her mind off of the pain and the baby.

"Dom, Eames, Saito, and Yusuf took Brendan to the hotel for questioning." Arthur replied stoically. Ariadne looked down and frowned.

"Oh." Ariadne had wanted to talk to him, but now she wasn't too sure.

"I'm going to do some research on him. I think he's hiding something." Arthur told her, his face still expressionless.

"Arthur, don't. I don't want things to get even messier than they are." Ariadne pleaded softly.

"Ari, we're already in a big mess. If I don't do this, there's a high chance we'll be fugitives for the rest of our lives." Arthur told her, standing up just as his phone rang.

"Hello?" Arthur answered his phone and Ariadne watched curiously.

"Arthur." Dom's voice was heard through the earpiece.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, alert.

"Brendan wants to see Ariadne."

"What? No! That's not happening." Arthur refused, stealing a glance at Ariadne, who was extremely pale and listening intently to Arthur's side of the conversation.

"Arthur, he has a right. At least ask Ariadne what she wants. It is her brother after all." Dom sighed, trying to reason with Arthur.

"No. No, I will not let him near her." Arthur refused, pacing around the room.

"Arthur." Ariadne small voice called out from behind him. "Let me talk to Dom."

Anger appeared on Arthur's face, but he nodded, handing her the phone.

"Dom?"

"Ariadne. How are you feeling?" Dom asked.

"Fine." Ariadne simply answered, a sharp pain in her stomach causing her to flinch and gasp.

"Ari?" Arthur rushed to her side.

"I'm fine." Ariadne panted. "Dom, what does Brendan want?"

"He wants to talk to you."

"Why?" She asked, still breathless.

"He didn't say. But think about it ok? He is family." Dom told her.

"Arthur thinks he's hiding something." Ariadne stated and heard Dom grunt on the other end.

"So do we, we just don't know what."

"And you think I can get it out of him?" Ariadne asked skeptically.

"No. But he'll trust you more, he might be more open with you." Dom sighed.

"I don't know…" Ariadne trailed off.

"Just, think about it ok? And let Arthur dig up information on him. If there is something he's hiding, it's best if we know what it is."

"Ok." Ariadne answered quietly. She handed the phone back to Arthur.

"Dom. Bring my laptop." Arthur told him.

"Ok, I'll be there soon. I just have to check up on the kids and I'll head over."

Arthur closed the phone without saying goodbye and turned back to Ariadne. She was taking short breaths and holding her stomach.

"Ari?"

"I've never been shot before, and I don't plan on it again." Ariadne wheezed.

"Should I call a nurse?" Arthur urgently asked.

"No." Ariadne whimpered.

"I'm going to anyway." Arthur turned and pushed the nurse button and within minutes a nurse was in the room.

"What can I do for you?" The nurse gently asked Arthur and Ariadne.

"My wife's in a lot of pain, is there anything you can give her?" Arthur asked pleadingly.

"We can give her some painkillers. Would you like something to help you sleep too?" The nurse turned to Ariadne.

"No. I'm fine." Ariadne small voice replied. Arthur sighed and shook his head. She needed rest, but he knew that if she were worried she wouldn't want to sleep. The nurse nodded and gave her some painkillers and left.

"You really should sleep Ari." Arthur told her and sat down next to her again.

"I can't." Ariadne whispered.

"Because of the baby." Arthur stated. Ariadne's sad eyes looked up at him and she nodded slightly. "Ari, resting will only do you good. If you don't rest…"

"I can't Arthur. I'm afraid." Ariadne's lips quivered and silent tears trickled slowly down her face. Arthur's heart broke at that moment. He was just as afraid as she was, but he knew that both of them would take the loss of their child hard.

Arthur laid down on the bed next to her and carefully put his arm around her. Ariadne rested her head against his shoulder and began to cry. Arthur did his best to comfort her, and soon he broke down crying with her.

"It's going to be ok." Arthur whispered to her, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her arm.

"You don't know that." Ariadne sobbed. Arthur knew she was right, but he wanted to stay positive.

Just then Dom walked in, carrying Arthur's laptop, a change of clothes, and food.

"I brought you a change of clothes and food." Dom told Arthur giving them a sympathetic look.

"Thank you." Arthur turned to look at Dom and Dom walked over to the bed. Ariadne looked at Dom sadly.

"How are you really?" Dom asked quietly.

"Not too great." Ariadne admitted and Arthur kissed her.

"Is the..." Dom trailed off, almost afraid to ask.

"The baby's alright, but doctors say it might not make it." Arthur informed Dom and Ariadne hiccupped. Arthur tightened his grip on Ariadne and looked at Dom, worry written all over his features.

"How's Brendan?" Ariadne asked suddenly.

Both Dom and Arthur looked at her, their brows together.

"How about you get better and we'll discuss that." Dom suggested. He saw how delicate she was and realized that Brendan could wait to see her.

"Tell him I want to see him." Ariadne whispered. Arthur looked at her, shocked.

"Ari…"

"No, Arthur I want to see him. Before you guys go into his head."

Arthur sighed and nodded. "Ok."

"Thank you."

"I'll start my research soon." Arthur told Dom and Dom nodded.

"I'll give Brendan your message." Dom said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Arthur asked Ariadne.

"Yes. I need answers Arthur." Ariadne told him, leaning against him and closing her eyes.

"Ok." Arthur whispered as she slowly fell asleep.

* * *

**Alright, so I've been having mixed feelings about whether or not the baby should survive...so until I figure that out, I'm leaving it here...I'm so indecisive! AHH! Anyways, this is more of a filler, soon Brendan's past will all be found out and they will go inside his head...but for what? Review please! and let me know what you think about the baby and Brendan and Ariadne meeting!**


	19. The Beginning of the Battles

**After uploading the last chapter I got crazy inspiration...so here is the next chapter. It's much longer. So it should hold you off for a little while. Buckle up and prepare for this chapter! Thank you for all the reviews...**

**I own this story. Not Inception.

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Arthur paced around the room while Ariadne slept. He was getting restless and anxious. Brendan should be arriving soon, how soon he wasn't sure, but he knew it would be too soon.

He decided to pull out his laptop and dig up some dirt on Brendan. He sat comfortable in the chair next to Ariadne's bed and focused his attention on the screen.

He typed in Brendan Sullivan and waited for something to be found. Oddly enough there wasn't any information on him at all. It was as if he were erased off of the face of the earth. Arthur let out a frustrated sigh and decided to use his search engine, he'd never tell anyone, but he created it himself.

Again he typed in Brendan Sullivan and within a few minutes his computer beeped, alerting him to the information. Arthur quickly scrolled through the information, frowning.

It had said that he had died six years ago in a car accident. His only surviving member of the family was his sister. Knowing that this was false Arthur dug deeper. He found that police notes had said that there were only two people in the car, but somehow a third body was found near the crime scene so they assumed it was him.

Arthur remembered that Ariadne had told him that Brendan left her after her parents died. He left without so much as a letter or an explanation. He continued reading on and found that the forensic scientist couldn't say that it was Brendan for sure, but they did find an odd patch near the body. It had three circles and a letter C in the middle of it.

Arthur immediately knew what that meant. Cobol was involved in this. They must have "killed" Brendan in order to use him.

After some much more extended research, Arthur closed his laptop and rubbed his eyes, he was tired and had a headache from looking at the screen for so long, but now he knew more about Brendan, there were still a few things that he was unsure about, but he knew that they would find it out.

Arthur's phone rang and he quickly answered it, not wanting the noise to disturb Ariadne.

"Yeah?"

"Arthur, Brendan wants to come over now. He's insisting." Eames growled.

Arthur clenched his jaw and turned to look at Ariadne.

"She's sleeping. He doesn't need to come right now." Arthur snapped back, anger seeping through his body.

"My point exactly." Eames mumbled. "So did you find anything on him?"

"He was declared dead, but forensic scientists weren't able to confirm his body. There was a patch from Cobol left behind that was found by the body that was claimed to be his. His whole past has been erased. It's rather eerie. There is no evidence of his birth, death, or life. I did find that he has traveled a lot though, through Cobol. He's been all around the world. He's been especially careful to stay away from Ariadne though. Which I don't quite understand, but if he's working for Cobol, it doesn't matter." Arthur informed Eames. He was still puzzled about Brendan's past being erased, and the fact that there is no birth or death certificate for him.

"Wow, seems like Brendan has a lot to tell us." Eames thoughtfully replied.

"Uh huh. And he's not talking now?" Arthur asked.

"Nope. Stupid man is keeping his mouth shut. If he knew what was good for him he'd be talking, looks like we're going to have to go into his mind." Eames said loud enough for Brendan to hear. Brendan scowled at him then frowned.

"That's going to be dangerous. He will be trained and Cobol trains them well." Arthur sighed and rubbed his face, things were getting worse and worse.

"Well we're the best, we'll do it." Eames assured both of them. "How's Ariadne doing?"

"She's not doing to well, she's sleeping right now, but I see the nurses and doctors walk by with worried glances. Something's not right." Arthur answered.

"She's a fighter Arthur, she'll be ok." Eames tried to comfort Arthur.

"I hope so, or so help me I will kill Brendan with my bare hands." Arthur angrily replied.

"Get in line." Eames chuckled. "Alright, Dom is planning something, so I gotta go. Keep me updated, and we'll call when we're on our way."

"Alright." Arthur nodded and ended the call. He sat down again, closed his eyes, and nodded off; getting some much needed rest.

* * *

Brendan was sitting in the chair Dom and Eames tied him up to with Saito's bodyguards surrounding him.

"I want to see Ariadne!" He shouted for the thousandth time.

"You will see her when we bloody tell you, you can!" Eames shouted, annoyed with Brendan's nagging.

"I want to see her now!" Brendan retorted.

"Well right now you can't! So do us all a favor and talk! What do you want from us?" Eames snarled.

"I'm not talking until I see her." Brendan defied.

Dom walked into the room and shook his head. "We told you she's in too critical a condition for you to pester her and make her worse. So just talk." Dom pushed him back in the chair and waited for a response. When he got none he stood up and shouted at him.

"Tell us now! What do you want! Who sent you!"

Brendan spit at Dom and Eames got up and punched him. "Just talk, make it easier for yourself will you darling?"

Brendan scowled and spit, blood coming out of his mouth. "Cobol sent me. That's all I'm saying until I see her."

"Maybe we should just take him to her." Yusuf suggested. Dom, Eames, and Saito turned to him and frowned, but Dom sighed and nodded.

"He's right. He's obviously not going to talk, maybe Ariadne can help."

"Arthur's going to be pissed." Eames told Dom.

"I know. But what other choice do we have?" Dom asked and Eames shrugged.

"We'll go into his dreams and find what we need to." Saito answered and Dom looked away, weighing out his options.

"Alright, that will be our Plan B." Dom nodded in consent.

"So what? We're taking him to see Ariadne?" Eames asked.

"Yes. Let's get him into the car." Dom replied and walked out of the room.

"You heard the man, let's go!" Eames shouted and stalked out behind Dom.

Saito's bodyguards carried Brendan into the car outside and the rest of the team trailed in behind them.

"Call Arthur." Eames tossed Dom his cell phone and Dom dialed Arthur's number.

" 'Lo?" Arthur's voice sounded groggy.

"Arthur, we're on our way." Dom told him hastily, knowing this wasn't going to be a pretty conversation.

"What? No!" Arthur immediately sounded alert.

"I'm sorry Arthur. We'll be there soon."

"Fine." Arthur snapped and ended the call. Ariadne had woken up during the short conversation and sat up painfully.

"Arthur? What's going on?" She asked quietly.

"Dom's bringing Brendan. I told him no, but he's just so stubborn." Arthur replied.

"No, it's alright." Ariadne replied and Arthur looked at her shocked.

"What?"

"I need this." Ariadne assured him.

"I don't think it's a good idea. Once you're out of here, we're going to extract information from him."

"You can't do that Arthur."

"We have to."

"I'm coming with you then." Ariadne said.

"No.

"Arthur, he's my brother, I'll be able to break him if I have to." Ariadne reasoned.

"It's too dangerous." Arthur refused.

"Arthur, look at me. I've already been shot, I'd hardly say I'm not in danger right now."

"Fine…but if anything happens…" Arthur trailed off as Dom knocked on the door.

"Hey. Are you ready?" Dom asked Ariadne. Ariadne nodded and Dom walked out. Eames and Dom ushered Brendan in and set his chair by Ariadne's bed.

"Hey Ari." He grinned. Ariadne frowned and glared at him.

"Brendan." She coldly replied.

"What did I do?" Brendan asked defensively.

"Well for one, you shot me. Oh and not to mention you abandoned me after mom and dad died." Ariadne snapped.

"I didn't shoot you. That man there did!" Brendan pointed to Arthur and scowled.

"Don't you dare blame my husband for something you did!" Ariadne raised her voice, ignoring the sharp pain in her stomach.

"Your husband? He's a criminal!" Brendan shouted back.

"Oh, and what are you?" Ariadne retorted.

"I'm the man that puts these criminals away." Brendan justified.

"That's not any different. These men are good men, and I love all of them. They are my new family. You abandoned me Brendan, and you expect me to take you back so easily. You left without a letter, goodbye, nothing! So don't you dare accuse my husband and family if you know nothing about my life." Ariadne snapped, angry tears streaming down her face.

Hearing all the commotion, Dom and Eames came into the room. Ariadne noticed and shook her head. They nodded and walked out, she turned to Arthur and grabbed his hand and squeezed it, seeking comfort. Arthur squeezed it back and continued to glare at Brendan.

"Ari, please be reasonable." Brendan tried again, responding softly.

Ariadne shook her head. " No. I want an explanation. Why did you leave?"

Brendan didn't respond, he just stared at her, his mouth tight.

"What did you get yourself into?" Ariadne whispered suspiciously.

"That's none of your business!" Brendan yelled. Ariadne flinched but straightened up quickly.

"Oh, but it is! It's just as much my business as yours! Tell me Brendan!"

"I can't tell you!"

"Get out!" Ariadne threw the tray at him. Brendan dodged it and stood up, walking to her.

"Ari, no!"

"Do it! Now!" Ariadne said threw clenched teeth.

"Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this Ari. We're family, we're supposed to stick together." Brendan pleaded.

Ariadne grew angry at this. "Oh yeah! Well you've already proven that family doesn't stick together."

Bredan looked hurt, but stood his ground. Arthur moved to walk towards him, but Ariadne kept her grip on him. Arthur frowned and clenched his fist, he squeezed it so hard his knuckles began to turn white.

"I'm sorry." Brendan replied.

"Well sorry isn't going to cut it Brendan. Tell Cobol to stay the hell away from my family."

"I can't do that. There's a price on all of their heads, yours too…the only way I can save you is if you leave them and come with me. Please Ari."

"I'm not leaving them! And you will make something work out!" Ariadne snapped and flinched, clutching her stomach.

"Ari!" Brendan and Arthur said in unison. Arthur kneeled next to her and stroked her hair.

Ariadne cried out in pain and Arthur pushed the nurse button while calling Dom and Eames in.

"What's going on?" Eames asked, his eyes darting to Ariadne.

"Get him out of here!" Arthur snarled. Dom and Eames grabbed him and pulled him out of the room.

"No! Ari!" Brendan cried from the hallway.

Ariadne was clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.

"Ari! Ari, look at me. Hold my hand, deep breaths." Arthur instructed her. Ariadne looked at him, but knew what was happening. She began crying. The nurses rushed in and looked Ariadne over.

"We need to get her to the emergency room." The nurse told Arthur as they began to rush her into the hallway.

"What? What's happening? Can I come?" Arthur asked, feeling so helpless for once.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're going to have to wait outside." The nurse apologized sympathetically.

Arthur nodded sadly and sunk to the floor after Ariadne was out of sight. He allowed silent sobs to escape him, he knew just as much as she did that she was losing the baby.

* * *

Dom's quiet footsteps came up next to Arthur, but Arthur made no move to look up. Dom sat down next to him and placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Arthur sighed.

"I shouldn't have insisted that Brendan come to see her, it's my fault." Dom said.

"No. She was already at high risk for miscarriage. I'm surprised the baby made it this far. The nurses and doctors even told me there was a possibility that she would miscarry within the next few days. I didn't want to tell her." Arthur's voiced cracked as he tried to hold in a sob.

"I'm sorry." Dom apologized again. The two sat in silence as they waited for news on Ariadne.

* * *

Half an hour later a nurse came out and told Arthur he could go and see Ariadne. He stood up slowly and inhaled deeply, knowing this was going to be difficult.

He walked into the small room, déjà vu hitting him as he took in Ariadne's form and the white walls. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his and kissed it. Squeezing it gently as he sat there crying.

Ariadne woke up an hour later. She looked around and found Arthur's head resting on the bed. He was snoring softly and she raked her fingers through his hair. Arthur stirred and woke up, looking at Ariadne.

Ariadne broke out into tears and Arthur immediately moved to hold her on the bed. She clung to him desperately and sobbed until she couldn't produce any more tears.

"I'm sorry." Arthur repeated over and over. Ariadne shook her head and stayed with her head buried into his chest. They remained like that for a while. Arthur finally decided to speak up.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked, knowing it was a stupid question. Ariadne shook her head sadly.

"I should've listened to you." Ariadne sniffled and looked at him, her eyes were red and tired.

"No, there's nothing you could have done. Nothing they could have done." Arthur reasoned. "Don't you dare blame yourself."

Ariadne nodded and closed her eyes. "I was so excited for this Arthur. Maybe not at first, but I started to get excited."

"I know." Arthur whispered into her hair. "We can always try again Ari. When things calm down and we get out of this mess."

Ariadne nodded and furrowed her brow. "We need to find out what Brendan is hiding and settle the score. I lost my brother a long time ago, that man that was in here, he's not the man I knew. He's hiding something. I just know it. But after this, I never want to see him again." Ariadne told Arthur.

Arthur gripped her tighter and brought her small, fragile body closer to him, keeping her safe.

"I'm sorry love." Eames' voice broke them out of their thoughts. Ariadne looked at him sadly.

"I'm going to beat the crap out of him." Eames said angrily. Arthur's gaze hardened as he thought about what he wanted to do to him.

"Eames, stay with her will you?" Arthur asked as he carefully pulled himself away from Ariadne, kissed her, and walked out of the room.

"He's going to go do something stupid." Ariadne shook her head and sighed, looking down at her stomach and frowning.

"Darling, you and Arthur are young, you can try again. That's always fun." Eames smirked and nudged her playfully. Ariadne's lips curved up slightly and she shook her head.

"We need to get this settled first. I don't want to raise a family on the run." Ariadne told Eames. Eames nodded.

"Me neither." Eames didn't know what else to say. Ariadne looked at him and burst into laughter. Eames, glad that she wasn't crying anymore, grinned and joined her in her laughter.

* * *

Arthur stalked out of the room angrily and searched for Dom and Brendan. He found them in the parking lot and walked up to Brendan and punched him square in the jaw.

"Arthur!" Dom shouted, but Arthur shrugged and punched Brendan again, his anger coming out.

Brendan staggered and fell to the ground at the second hit and struggled to escape Arthur's wrath.

"You're going to pay!" Arthur said as he punched Brendan. Brendan managed to get up and swung at Arthur, punching his eye. Arthur covered his eye and staggered back.

"It's your fault this all happened!" Brendan shouted, punching Arthur in the gut.

Arthur gasped and swung back, cracking Brendan's nose. Brendan clutched his nose and fell down.

"Stay away from my wife and you'll live." Arthur threatened and walked off. Dom stood there, dumbfounded by the whole thing. He finally helped Brendan up and shoved him into the car.

Arthur stumbled into Ariadne room and Ariadne gasped.

"Arthur!"

Eames turned to him and stood up, helping him sit down.

"What happened?" Eames asked.

"Arthur you didn't…" Ariadne said.

Arthur looked at both of them and frowned.

"Eames, get him some ice or something for his eye." Ariadne asked. Eames nodded and left the room.

"Arthur, you shouldn't have done that." Ariadne scolded and sighed.

"He was asking for it." Arthur answered back. Ariadne, knowing that he was angry, decided to drop the subject.

Eames rushed into the room with a bag of ice and Arthur took it gratefully, gently placing it on his swollen eye.

"So give me the details. What happened!" Eames asked, almost too enthusiastically.

"I punched him, he punched me back. There's not much to tell." Arthur shrugged and flinched at the movement.

"Arthur…" Arthur looked at Ariadne and moved to lay down next to her. She carefully traced his quickly bruising eye and kissed him softly.

"I'll leave you two alone." Eames mumbled and closed the door behind him.

Ariadne and Arthur didn't say anything. They didn't need to. They just stayed there, enjoying each other's presence and taking comfort in each other. Soon enough Ariadne and Arthur fell asleep, leaving the horrible events behind them for now.

* * *

**Ok, I know a lot of you are going to hate me because the baby didn't make it, it took me forever to figure out where I want this story to go, and it killed me to have her miscarry...but trust me on this. This opens up so many doors for me to take this story. And don't worry, they WILL get their happy ending. Things have to get bad before they can get better right? So don't lose faith in me. After much debate I came to the conclusion that this is the best way to take the story. So much can happen now! So leave your reviews and continue reading! Please! :)**

**P.S. Arthur beat the crap out of Brendan, that's gotta count for something...haha...there will be more of that to come...  
**


	20. The Unnerving News

**I'm so glad you all enjoyed the last chapter, despite the horrible loss...thanks for sticking with me either way! We're starting to get more into the action, and hopefully soon we'll see a happier side to Arthur and Ariadne...as well as the rest of the team! :D So read and review this chapter. It's a little more of a filler, but I hope you like it anyway. Let me know what you think should happen!**

**I wish I owned Inception...

* * *

  
**

Eames stood outside of Ariadne's room waiting. Dom had told him that he was going to take Brendan back to the hotel, and Eames decided he'd wait outside and give the couple some privacy. He sighed and sat in the nearest chair, thinking about Ariadne and what he'd do to Brendan now.

He knew that there was something off about Brendan; he just didn't know what it was. Eames had a suspicion that maybe everything Brendan was doing wasn't really all his fault. However he pushed that thought back for now, not wanting to bring it up unless he was absolutely sure.

The only thing he did know was that he wouldn't let Brendan's actions go unpunished. Even if Cobol is behind everything, Ariadne's miscarriage was all Brendan's fault.

* * *

In the room Arthur began to stir and sighed, rubbing his eyes as he woke up. He turned his head to look at Ariadne, who was still sleeping peacefully. A frown quickly formed on his face and he stroked her cheek softly.

He couldn't help but wonder how things could go so horribly wrong in so little time. He was going to be a dad, Ariadne was going to have a baby, their baby. Now all of that was lost.

"We can try again." Ariadne whispered softly, somehow answering what he was thinking. Arthur, startled by Ariadne's voice, jumped slightly and looked her in the eye.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Arthur asked, turning his head curiously.

"Because it's what I was thinking." Ariadne replied sadly.

Arthur nodded and waited for Ariadne to say more.

"Do you think we'll ever be able to have a family?" Ariadne finally asked.

"I promise you, we will." Arthur told her, his tone convincing. Ariadne nodded and let a few tears fall. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, it isn't your fault." Ariadne told him, wiping away the tears and sniffling.

"But I had my hand on the gun." Arthur protested.

"Yes, but so did Brendan, and Brendan pulled out the gun first. It was not your fault." Know that." Ariadne told him, taking his head in her hands and looking him in the eyes.

"I love you." Arthur told her and she smiled, leaning forward and kissing him.

"Me too."

There was a knock on the door and Arthur stood up quickly and opened the door. Eames was standing on the other side looking hesitant.

"Eames." Arthur ushered him in and closed the door.

"What's going on?" Ariadne asked, sitting up and gasping in pain. She was still sore from the gunshot wound. Arthur looked at her anxiously, but she just shook her head and turned her gaze back to Eames.

"Nothing, love. Just checking up on you." Eames told her, grinning. Arthur frowned and eyed him suspiciously.

"Where's Dom?" Arthur asked.

"Ah, He's on his way now. He just had to drop off…" Eames glanced at Ariadne and saw her nod for him to go on. "…Brendan. He says we have some things to discuss."

"Yes, we have a lot to cover." Dom's voice came through the door as he walked in. The three of them looked at him and Dom smiled weakly.

"Maybe we should wait until you're feeling better Ariadne." Dom told her. Ariadne grunted and crossed her eyes.

"Hopefully I'll be out of here soon. I hate hospitals and I'm tired of being here." Ariadne grumpily complained. Arthur shook his head and Dom and Eames chuckled.

"Alright. We'll go over the basics then." Dom told them, pulling up a chair and sitting down. Eames followed suit and Arthur walked to the bed and sat on the edge of it, rubbing Ariadne's hand.

"Ok, so Arthur dug up Brendan's past. For some reason it's been erased. There were bits and pieces he was able to find though."

"What?" Ariadne asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What exactly did you find Arthur?"

Arthur sighed and began to tell her what he found. "The records say Brendan was killed with your parents in the car accident."

"What? No. That makes no sense." Ariadne exclaimed. "What else?"

"Cobol hired him a few years ago, around the same time is when all of his information got erased. There was a patch from Cobol left behind that was found by the body at the crime scene. Police claimed it to be his. He has traveled a lot, through Cobol. He's been all around the world. He's been especially careful to stay away from you, Ari. I don't understand why, but if he's working for Cobol, it doesn't matter." Arthur told her. Her gaze was hard and he could tell she was trying to figure things out.

Arthur turned to look at Dom and Eames. He noticed Eames looking a little uneasy.

"Eames? What's wrong?" Arthur asked urgently.

"Well, uh, I don't know if you've heard of this, but there have been a few cases that I was aware of. Anyway, there have been certain companies that have been able to go into someone's mind and plant a 'virus' if you will. This virus allows them to have total control over the person. Brendan has all the symptoms of it, but for some reason he has a strong will to fight it. I don't know if I'm right, but if I am, we can easily go in and destroy the virus." Eames explained. Dom paled, he had heard of it before too, but he hadn't come across a case.

"I think you're right." Dom agreed.

"So what, we go in and destroy the virus? Then what? Cobol will still be after us." Arthur reasoned.

"Yes, but if we can destroy the virus and get Brendan to work with us, we should be able to find a way to clear our charges." Dom replied.

"No. I will not work with him." Arthur stood up and paced.

"We have to. Besides, everything he's done could be because of the virus. He may not have any control over what he does. It would be like a computer chip inserted into your brain so that you have to take orders." Dom reasoned.

Ariadne bit her lip. She was still extremely angry with Brendan and she wanted nothing to do with him. But if this were the case, she really did want to help her brother. It didn't mean they would be a happy family or even talk to each other afterwards, but she wanted to help him.

"Arthur, we should do it." Ariadne finally spoke up. Arthur turned to look at her, shock and anger evident in his features.

"What?"

"I mean, I don't want to be one big happy family with him, but I don't want to leave him in the hands of Cobol, he deserves better than that. And if he is under their control, maybe he didn't mean what he did…" Ariadne trailed off.

"No. Ari, he's done too much to destroy our family." Arthur raised his voice.

"I know Arthur! I know just as much as you do! I am the one with the whole in my stomach!" Ariadne pulled the sheets and gown away, revealing her bandaged stomach. Arthur looked away painfully.

"Arthur, please. We need to save him. I can't just leave him like that." Ariadne whispered.

"Alright, but if he does anything, and I mean anything, I can't guarantee I won't shoot him and send him straight to limbo." Arthur threatened.

"I second that." Eames piped up and winked.

"If I don't do it first." Dom mumbled.

Ariadne looked at the three of them and nodded, "Just be nice to him, I'm the one who's allowed to be angry and mean with him."

"He shot my wife, I'd say I have a right too." Arthur argued.

Ariadne sighed. "I know…" Her gaze fell back to her stomach and Arthur frowned.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. We can't keep dwelling on the past. Plus, I know we'll have a family someday…" Ariadne told him.

Dom and Eames felt like they were intruding on a private moment, but Eames decided to joke with them.

"Yeah, I know how much fun you two had the first time around."

Arthur glared at him and Ariadne blushed. Dom slapped his forehead and groaned. Eames chuckled and winked at Arthur and Ariadne.

"Oh come on, don't lie. You know you did."

"Eames. Shut up." Arthur said through clenched teeth.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist." Eames raised his hands in surrender and smirked.

"I'll find out when you can be released. As soon as you can leave, we'll start planning, but I don't want you to overwork yourself." Dom informed them and looked pointedly at Ariadne.

"Alright." Ariadne shrugged and rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious. You take it easy or we won't let you in the dream." Dom said.

"Okay, okay. I'll take it easy." Ariadne surrendered.

"Eames, with me." Dom called.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to. Brendan deserves what he gets. He got into this mess, he should get himself out." Arthur told her.

"Arthur, he may be the only way for us to be able to live a real life. And if he was brainwashed by this virus, it's not his fault. Yes, I'm still angry with him. It's his fault we lost this baby, but he's my brother. And I've always heard the phrase, 'blood is thicker than water.' He's my blood and he deserves my help, whether or not we think he deserves it. I promise, he won't have any part of our lives after the job." Ariadne said.

"You can't promise that. You may change your mind." Arthur pointed out.

Ariadne looked troubled for a moment. She was having conflicting feelings. After discovering this possibility about Brendan, her view on him did change.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Ariadne replied.

"The doctors say you can be released today. They just need to do another check up and give you strict instructions for the next couple of weeks." Eames gleefully replied as he walked into the room, not caring if he interrupted anything.

"Finally!" Ariadne grinned, raising her hands above her head.

Arthur smiled and turned to Dom. "Is Brendan at the hotel?"

"Yes. Saito is watching him now. We'll get Yusuf to drug him and create a sedative for this particular job."

"Alright." Arthur nodded as the nurse walked in and began to inspect Ariadne. Dom and Eames left until Ariadne was fully dressed and ready to go.

"Let's get to this!" Eames exclaimed.

* * *

**So this was a shorter chapter...but I wanted to get something up and start getting this ball rolling...what'd you think? Leave a review so that when I wake up in the morning I will be excited and hopefully be able to right more tomorrow! **


	21. The Creative Process

**It feels like it's been forever since the last update, but things are starting to come together and details are harder to write, but it's coming together and I got this chapter up! Thank you all who are still reading this story and reviewing! It means a lot! Hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Someday I will own Inception...on DVD...in 48, well 47 days...

* * *

  
**

Arthur helped Ariadne into the car. She was still sore and in pain.

"Eames, we need to stop and get her painkillers." Arthur told Eames, while carefully holding her. He could feel her flinching and trying not to whimper.

"Already done." Eames said, tossing the small bottle over his shoulder. Arthur quickly caught it and read the label. He sighed and stuffed it into his pocket.

"What's the plan?" Ariadne asked, trying to get her mind off of the pain.

"So far…nothing." Arthur admitted. He slouched for a split second before straightening up. Eames glanced at them through the mirror and frowned.

"First off, if we are going into Brendan's head, we need to create levels. He already knows we're going to try. We've told him and threatened him enough for him to know. So we're going to have to get this as realistic as we can. Since he will know, his subconscious will be heavily armed and more alert to our presence. They will attack. And if there is a virus, that will attack us immediately. So we need to get each level of the dream as realistic as we can. Ariadne, do you feel up to it? If not, Dom can." Eames rambled on, quickly throwing out the plan he had been formulating.

"When are we going to do this?" Ariadne asked, exhaling deeply.

"Three weeks. We still need to get him to talk, but we can't try to destroy the virus without planning first." Eames replied.

"Dom can do it." Arthur spoke up. Ariadne turned to him and glared.

"I can do it. But Dom can help, I'll need it." Ariadne answered Eames.

"Ari, you're not strong enough." Arthur protested.

"In three weeks I'll be fine." Ariadne tried to convince him.

"Alright." Arthur gave in, not wanting to argue with her now.

Ariadne got worn out easily so she went to bed early. Arthur was concerned, but knew he had work to get done so he just kissed her goodnight and watched her until she was out of sight.

He sighed and looked at Eames who was staring at him compassionately.

"She'll be fine. Don't worry about her, she's a tough girl." Eames replied, "Now help me go through these pictures your little woman gave me."

Arthur stood up and stretched, slowly making his way over to Eames. He picked up a few pictures and flipped through them.

"Who are they?" Arthur asked as he looked through them.

"Ah, well some of them are friends of Brendan, his bosses, and their parents. She also has some pictures of them when they were younger. She told me I should memorize all the details, and look up information on his friends and bosses. But that's where you come in. Once you find them, I'll buy tickets to fly out and observe them. As soon as that's done we can get started. Well once the dream levels are finished and we know them well enough we can get started. I think we should push back the job another week or two." Eames rambled on.

Arthur frowned and glanced and Dom, he was sitting with his kids on his lap. They were watching cartoons. Dom looked up and caught his gaze. He nodded sharply and turned to his kids.

"James, Philippa, stay here. I'll be right back, I have to talk to Uncle Artie." Dom told them, they simply nodded, their focus never leaving the TV.

"What's going on?" Dom whispered.

"Eames thinks we should push back the job another week or two." Arthur answered.

"Do you think it's necessary?" Dom asked, having faith in Arthur. He knew that his point man would make the right decision and if he thought they didn't have to push the job back, then he trusted him.

Arthur sighed and nodded. "Yes. We have a lot to cover, and this virus can be dangerous. We don't know anything about it. Eames also has a lot of people he has to go observe, especially if he'll have to forge into them."

"Alright, have you told Ariadne?" Dom asked.

"No. She's in bed, I'll tell her in the morning."

"Alright, I have to talk to her about the dream levels. We'll get started on that when she's feeling up to it." Dom said over his shoulder as he walked back to his children, who were now asleep.

"I'm gonna head to bed now." Arthur yawned and stood up, walking to the door.

"Alright. Goodnight Arthur." Dom replied. Eames just looked up briefly and nodded at him.

When Arthur entered the bedroom he found Ariadne awake and watching TV.

"Hey, I thought you were going to bed?" Arthur asked, crawling onto the bed and kissing her.

"I tried, but I couldn't sleep." Ariadne sighed.

"Why?"

"I'm afraid of having a nightmare."

"You have you been having nightmares?" Arthur questioned surprised and stared at her.

Ariadne nodded and avoided his gaze. A few tears trickled down her face and Arthur pulled her against him, cradling her and careful to not put pressure on her stomach.

"Want to tell me?"

Arthur heard her mumble something, but he couldn't understand through her sobs. He rocked her softly and waited for her to calm down and open up.

A few minutes later she calmed down enough to talk. She looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy.

"I just keep replaying the moment Brendan fired the gun. Everything happened so fast, but it also happened so slow. The gunshot, the pain, the blood. All of it came so fast, but as soon as I was shot everything slowed down. And then I relive the moment I lost the baby." She choked back a sob.

"I'm sorry." Arthur replied.

"There's nothing you could have done Arthur. I just hate having to see everything happen over and over again." Ariadne shook her head sadly.

"How's your stomach?" Arthur asked.

"It's fine. It's still sore, but it doesn't hurt as much. I think it's healing." Ariadne replied, glad that Arthur changed the subject.

"We're pushing back the job another two weeks." Arthur blurted out.

"What? Why?" Ariadne looked up surprised.

"We have too much to get done and covered, we need more time. Eames needs more time. We all need more time Ari." Arthur told her.

Ariadne nodded. "Just as long as it's not because of me."

"No, we all need more time."

"Ok." Ariadne yawned and laid back.

"Get some sleep, I'm going to change. I'll be back." Arthur kissed her nose and walked into the bathroom. One he came out he found Ariadne asleep and curled up into a ball. He smiled and joined her, pulling her close to him.

The next day Ariadne woke up before Arthur. She quickly got dressed and made her way into Dom's room. She knocked and Dom opened the door, smiling he let her in.

"Good morning Dom." Ariadne greeted him as she walked in.

"Good morning. Where's Arthur?" Dom asked.

"He's still asleep. I figured we better get started on the dream levels."

"Did he tell you about the job?" Dom asked cautiously.

She nodded. "Yes, he's right, we need more time. Poor Eames was overwhelmed and I didn't even know it." She teased lightly.

Dom chuckled as Eames grumbled something from the couch.

"Darling, it's not as easy as you may think. Trying to become someone else takes time and patience." Eames walked over to her. Ariadne giggled and turned back to Dom.

"Alright, let's get started. Do you have paper?"

Dom nodded and walked over to his bag and pulled out two sketchpads. Ariadne watched him and glanced at James and Philippa. They were still sleeping on the bed.

"Ok, where do we start?" Dom asked, letting her lead. Ariadne tapped her chin thoughtfully, thinking of what the first layer of the dream should be. She figured the last layer should involve a computer lab if they were to try to find the virus and destroy it. She wasn't sure where to start. She didn't really know her brother anymore.

"Well the last layer should be a computer lab. It would make it easier to find the virus, don't you think?" Ariadne asked finally. Dom looked at her pensively. Ariadne could see him thinking things through and sighed in relief when he nodded and grinned.

"That's an excellent idea. But what about the first two levels?"

Ariadne sighed and shook her head. "I'm not sure yet. I don't know Brendan like I used to. But I think we should start with something familiar and common to him. Maybe an airport?" Ariadne suggested. Dom looked at Eames and Eames shook his head slightly.

"Does he spend a lot of time at them, and will he know that he's not in a real one?" Eames asked.

"Well we can use the airport here, that way he doesn't wonder how he ended up at LAX or JFK. I mean it would make most sense to use the one here." Ariadne said. Eames nodded and looked at Dom.

"I think an airport could work, we just have to figure out how we are going to incorporate that with getting deeper into his head to destroy the virus." Dom thought out loud.

"Well we could have him take a flight back to Cobol Headquarters and the second layer could be Cobol HQ." Arthur's voice surprised everyone and they turned to see him entering the room quietly.

"That actually would be a great idea. The only problem is we don't know what Cobol HQ looks like." Dom sighed and rubbed his face.

"I can go and check it out." Arthur replied. Ariadne's head snapped up and she swiveled in her chair to stare at him.

"What? No! Arthur, you can't go!" Ariadne pleaded.

"I have to, if we're going to get Cobol off our back for good and destroy that virus, we have to get the details of Cobol HQ exact. We can't afford to have any wrong details." Arthur told her, his face expressionless.

"Why can't Eames go?" Ariadne asked, ignoring Eames' "Hey!"

"Because I'm the point man, it's my job. And I can do this quickly and without being caught. I promise. Ariadne's mouth gaped at him, she knew he was right, but she didn't want to risk losing him, especially after everything that's happened.

Eames and Dom looked at Ariadne sympathetically. "He's right." Dom spoke up. Ariadne turned to look at him, her eyes sad.

"I know. I just…" Ariadne stood up and walked out of the room, rushing to hers and slamming the door. She sighed and slid down the door and began to cry softly.

Arthur was about to go after her, but Dom grabbed his arm.

"Give her a few minutes. She knows what's right, she just needs time."

Arthur nodded and frowned. "You know I'd go if I were capable of doing your job, but I'm not, and I have tons of other things to do." Eames patted him on the back and walked away.

"Eames, don't you need to observe his boss?" Arthur suddenly remembered.

Eames silently cursed, forgetting about that. "Yes, which means I'm going to have to go with you. Looks like we're going together after all buddy." Eames smirked. Arthur shook his head and groaned.

"Ok, so we have our three levels, we just need to get the second level layout. The other two should be easy, the computer lab doesn't have to be anything special, just something that Brendan will believe and we can search for the virus on one of the computers. The airport should be a piece of cake, it's one that both Ariadne and I are familiar with."

"When do I need to head to Cobol?" Arthur and Eames asked simultaneously. Eames snickered and Arthur glared at him.

"I'd say in the next two weeks. This level is the one we really have to perfect, so the more details the better." Dom answered. "Eames, will that be enough time for you?"

Eames nodded and picked up his pictures. I don't know who Brendan's friends are or where to find them…Arthur mind doing me a favor and looking them up for me?" Eames batted his eyelashes and grinned. Arthur rolled his eyes and picked up his laptop, quickly finding information on them.

Eames looked over the information quickly and grinned. "Looks like I'll be teaching a lesson on forging to you two. Ariadne can go into the first level as herself."

"And the second level?" Arthur asked.

"The second level we're going to have to be Cobol employees. Ariadne still would be more useful as herself. He won't think much of her, but if he sees us in the dream, we will be screwed." Dom said.

"Alright. And the third level?"

"The third level will be trickier. I'm still debating on going as ourselves or as technicians. I'll think it over. But with the way we're thinking we might as well go as technicians. Ariadne can accompany Brendan the whole time." Dom suggested.

Arthur clenched his jaw and exhaled loudly. "Alright, but if he does anything to her, I will snap his little neck."

"Ooh, can I help?" Eames asked, smirking diabolically.

"Only if I get to finish him off." Arthur nodded.

"Sounds bloody good to me." Eames grinned.

"Ok, I'll get to work on the airport, Eames you start buying your plane tickets, and Arthur, go talk to your wife." Dom gently told him. Arthur nodded and quickly left the room, shooting one last glance at Dom and Eames before closing the door.

He opened the door gently and was surprised when the door wouldn't open. He peeked in the small crack and saw Ariadne sitting there, crying.

"Ari, let me in. Let's talk." Arthur whispered gently.

Ariadne stood up and turned to face him. He entered the room and stood there, staring at her. He could see the tears forming and he sighed.

"Ari, we both know I have to go." He sighed.

She nodded and allowed a sob to escape her. "I know." She squeaked. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bed.

"What's bothering you?" He asked.

"I don't want to lose you too, not after what happened..." Ariadne brushed her stomach gently. "...going to Cobol is dangerous." Ariadne whispered.

Realization hit him. "Ari, you're not going to lose me, I promise. Besides, Eames will be going with me." Arthur told her, hoping to ease her worry.

"If he doesn't keep you safe I'll trap him in a maze in limbo." Ariadne joked, sniffling.

Arthur laughed and pulled her close to him. "I'm coming back, I promise. I'm not leaving for another two weeks. It gives me plenty of time to do research and prepare for what I'm walking into. Don't worry about me. Just get your job done and soon we won't have to worry about Cobol or being chased anymore."

Ariadne nodded. "I'm sorry I freaked out. I didn't mean to, it was just all so overwhelming."

"You don't need to apologize. I understand. Now come on, Dom needs your help." Arthur smiled and took her hand, carefully pulling her up.

"He already started?" Ariadne asked, wiping away her tears. Arthur nodded.

"He needs your help though."

"So what's the plan exactly?" Ariadne asked.

"I'll explain when we're all together. We got the basic stuff figured out, now we just have to figure out the more complex things, like how we're going to destroy the virus and how do we know what the virus looks like." Arthur told her.

Ariadne nodded and blushed as she walked into the room. She was embarrassed about what happened and when she saw Dom and Eames stare at her she couldn't help but feel ashamed for her reaction.

"I'm sorry about earlier." She apologized.

"Don't worry about it, love." Eames smiled softly.

Dom smiled at her. "Come here, I need some advice on the airport."

"Wait, aren't you going to explain the plan to me first?" Ariadne asked.

Dom nodded. "Alright, Eames, go get Yusuf and pull up a few chairs. We're having our first meeting."

* * *

**Hmmm...things are coming together...plans are being made. Soon they will be entering Brendan's mind...so what did you guys think of this chapter? Any ideas or suggestions? Please leave a review, they encourage me and I love to read them! They also help me understand what I'm doing right or wrong or what I need to change and do differently...thank you for reading!**


	22. The Countdown

**Next chapter up! Woo! I have been working on this one for a few days, trying to figure out how I wanted this to go. So I finally got this finished. The plans are getting into motion, pretty soon they will be in Brendan's head. Uh oh! :O So anyways, leave reviews, I was sad to find that the last chapter didn't get very many reviews. The reviews haven't been coming lately :( So please review!  
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**I closed my eyes hoping Inception would be mine when I opened them...nope...didn't happen.

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"Alright, so we'll have three levels, of course you knew that." Dom told Ariadne and continued when she nodded at him. "The first level will be the airport, the second Cobol's Headquarters, and the third a computer lab."

"And what are we planning on doing on each level?" Ariadne asked, looking at the four men sitting around her.

"The first level you're going to try to understand what exactly he's been pulled into." Dom explained.

"Me? Why not Eames?"

"Because he'll trust you more and share information with you more willingly." Arthur answered. She looked at him then at Eames.

"But Eames can forge into me." Ariadne protested.

"He can, but only you know your brother and your past to pull it off so we can talk him into breaking into Cobol in the next level." Dom reasoned. Ariadne sighed knowing there was no way she was getting out of this.

"Alright. So the second level…"

"The second level is where we're going to try to get him to hack into Cobol and get him to erase all the prices on our heads and erase any evidence of us working with them. If we can get that idea planted into his head, he'll actually do it and we'll be free." Eames grinned widely.

Ariadne nodded. "Alright, well what's the purpose of the third layer then?"

"We're going to find and destroy the virus. It shouldn't be too hard, but we will definitely be pushing the same idea in the third level too, just to be safe." Dom replied.

"Ok, so who's going into the dreams as what?"

"You will be yourself in all the layers. The first layer Arthur, Eames, and I will be going in as Brendan's friends. Hopefully there won't be much need for interaction, we're hoping the only interaction he'll need is with you, but just in case we're going as his friends. Eames is going to be doing his research and observations soon." Dom explained.

"In the second layer, Eames will be Brendan's boss, Jonathan White. We're going to make it seem like he's hiding something from Brendan, get his suspicions going. Dom will be one of his co-workers, encouraging him to dig into Jonathan's plans and you'll be convincing him to help save you and erase the price on our heads. If you successfully do that, we should be fine." Arthur continued.

"And the third layer I will be with you, as well as Dom." Arthur answered her question before it was out of her mouth. "Dom and I will try to hack one of the computers and find the virus, once we find it, we'll create an antivirus that should destroy it…hopefully it isn't that far along, if it is, there won't be anything we can do."

"Ok, so precision and specificity is definitely important here. Especially since Brendan is familiar with extraction and knows what it's like to be in a dream. He also knows that we're planning on going into his head, so he'll be expecting it, which means his projections will be heavily armed." Ariadne said. The men nodded at her.

"It's going to be much more dangerous, we'll have to take things easy and be extra careful. A single mistake and we'll be attacked mercilessly. But we think that you will be able to keep him calm and distracted. With you there he won't be so conscious to any strangeness or unfamiliarity." Dom told her. Ariadne wrinkled her forehead in thought and looked around the room.

"Ok, well we better get started then. Dom, what do you have so far?" Ariadne asked, standing up and moving to the table. Dom grinned and Arthur shook his head, smirking. Ariadne tapped her foot impatiently as Dom made his way over to her and began explaining.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by fast. The team had most of what they needed to know down, the only thing left to learn was the Cobol layer, which had yet to be created and practiced.

"Are you all packed up?" Eames asked Arthur while Ariadne and Dom were going over the layouts of the airport and computer lab. Arthur glanced at Ariadne and sighed.

"Yeah. You?" Arthur asked. Eames nodded and frowned.

"Look, I know you're worried about leaving Ariadne, but she'll be fine, and I promise not to let anything happen to you." Eames smirked and nudged Arthur playfully. Arthur just rolled his eyes and looked at the forger.

"How long do you think you'll need?"

"Well, as long as we get the video footage, I should be able to go off of that for the people, but we need to be sure to get a lot of footage of the big man. He's the most important, and the closest co-workers to Brendan are important too. So I don't think I'll need more than three days, what about you?" Eames replied.

"It depends on how big the place is. If it's huge, I'll need at least a week. So it really depends, we'll find out when we get there." Arthur warily replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ariadne smiled, walking up to them, rubbing Arthur's arm lovingly.

"How much time we'll need at Cobol." Eames decided to be straightforward. Ariadne froze for a split second but quickly regained her composure.

"Are you all packed?" Ariadne asked. She had definitely picked up Arthur's poker face.

"Yes." Arthur simply replied. Ariadne nodded and looked at Eames.

"I guess I better get back to work then, holler if you need anything." She kissed Arthur softly before walking back to the table where Dom and his kids were.

"Auntie Ari! Can you play with us?" James asked as he tugged on her pants. Ariadne giggled and looked at Dom, silently asking for permission.

"Go ahead, I have this down." Dom smiled. Ariadne grinned and scooped up James. He let out a loud scream and began laughing as she started to tickle him on the bed. Philippa quickly joined in and soon all three were laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces.

Arthur watched this with sad eyes. He could tell Ariadne would be a great mom, but unfortunately that would have to wait. Dom noticed Arthur's glazed over look and walked over to him.

"Hey, everything alright?" He asked. Arthur straightened up and nodded.

"Just thinking of everything we have to get done." Arthur replied. Dom sighed and let the topic slide.

"Everything's fine. We just need this last layer and we can get started and hopefully end all of this. Maybe we can go live a normal life for once." Dom told Arthur.

Arthur nodded. "I hope so." His gaze fell on Ariadne and the kids again and he couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Later that night Arthur and Ariadne lay in bed together. Holding each other before Arthur left on an extremely dangerous mission. He was heading straight into Cobol's territory and there was a high possibility he wouldn't come back. Arthur gently stroked her hair and Ariadne rested her head on Arthur's chest.

"Stay safe ok?" Ariadne whispered. Arthur nodded and kissed her forehead.

"I will. Don't worry about me ok? Everything will be fine. And when all of this is over we won't have to worry anymore."

There was a long silence and the two of them just basked in each other's presence. Both content to be where they were.

"I saw you with the kids today, you're great with them." Arthur broke the silence.

Ariadne blushed and looked up at him. "They're great. I love them. They have a lot of Dom in them."

"And Mal. You didn't know her, but they take after Mal too." Arthur said.

They both knew where this topic was going, but neither of them wanted to start it. It was too soon and still way too dangerous for that.

"Arthur, what are you trying to say?" Ariadne sighed, frustrated. She wanted to get this talk over with.

"I'm saying I want to start a family with you. But right now, it just won't work, but I still want it. I don't understand why."

Ariadne smiled. "We have time Arthur."

Arthur smiled back. "I know, I just want you to know that I'm ready when you are."

"Arthur, after what happened, I don't think right now is the best time. We should talk about this after our job." Ariadne sighed.

Arthur nodded. "Ok, I just wanted to make sure you're ok with it."

Ariadne smiled and kissed him. "Let's just, enjoy each other right now."

They stayed like that, neither one of them wanting to fall asleep. They wanted to enjoy each other's company before Arthur had to go into dangerous territory.

* * *

Morning came all too fast for the young couple and Ariadne reluctantly let Arthur get up to take a shower and get ready to go. Eames was grumbling about Arthur always choosing the earliest flights possible and not being able to get enough sleep.

Dom left James and Philippa with Yusuf while they took Eames and Arthur to the airport.

"Alright, so you guys have your cameras and everything. You know what to do right?" Dom asked.

Arthur scoffed. "Are you seriously asking me that Dom?"

"Sorry, I'm just feeling a little uneasy about all of this."

Ariadne was silent the whole ride. Arthur noticed this, but didn't push it. He knew she was handling it in her own way, instead he put his arm around her and let her rest her head against his shoulder.

Eames kept grumbling about being tired, but Arthur ignored him and finally just punched him on the shoulder.

"Eames, calm down! You can sleep on the plane!" Arthur rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth, annoyed with Eames' complaining.

Ariadne giggled quietly. "I'm sorry about my freak out last week. I didn't mean to cry and get angry, it just was so much happening in one week that I was overwhelmed, stressed, and tired."

"Hey, you don't need to apologize." Arthur told her.

"No, I do. It was so unlike me and I can't believe I acted so immaturely."

Arthur shook his head and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too." Ariadne whispered, leaning into him.

Dom pulled into the parking spot and they quickly made their way to security. Eames turned around and patted Ariadne on the back and giving Dom a handshake.

"I'll take care of him darling, don't you worry your pretty little head off." He grinned at her before giving her a kiss on the cheek and walking through security.

Arthur lingered a while longer, turning to Dom first and saying his goodbyes. Dom was kind enough to walk away and give them a moment. Arthur turned to Ariadne and sighed.

"I'll be fine. I promise. I will be back in hopefully less than a week and we can get this over with."

Ariadne nodded and looked down, not wanting to cry. "Just, don't do anything stupid and be extra careful."

"I will."

"I love you Arthur." Ariadne hugged Arthur, clinging onto him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He rubbed her back gently, savoring this moment.

When she finally pulled away she smiled. "Go on Point Man, you have a job to do."

Arthur smiled back and kissed her. He kissed her nose, cheek, eyelids, and the top of her head. "Alright Architect, I expect you to be able to get this second layer done as soon as I get back."

Ariadne giggled and nodded, standing on her toes to kiss him again. "Go on before you miss your flight."

"Bye Ari. I love you."

"I love you too Arthur, I'll see you soon."

Arthur briskly walked to security and was soon out of Ariadne's sight. She sighed and turned around and walked to Dom.

"Let's go." She said. Dom nodded and followed her to the car.

"You ok?" He finally asked after ten minutes of silence.

"Yeah, everything will be fine, but I need to talk to Brendan again. Alone. He can't be suspicious of anything."

"Are you sure you're ready for that?" Dom asked, eyeing her carefully. She nodded curtly and turned to him.

"We need this to run as smooth as possible, and frankly I think this is the only way. I'll sweet talk him, get him to believe me and believe that I want to go back with him, and we can sedate him in the process. That way he'll really believe we're at the airport. I have to convince him that he needs to meet his friends there too, that way you guys won't be suspicious in the dream." Ariadne explained.

Dom raised his eyebrows. He was impressed with her thinking. "You really have been hanging around Arthur too much." He joked. Ariadne blushed, but kept his gaze.

"Alright, it sounds like a plan to me. When do you want to talk to him? That way I can give Saito a call and tell him we're ready for this next step and inform him of it."

"Tomorrow. I need to get this over with and talk to him. However I will have to talk to him throughout the whole week. And when Arthur gets back we can work on the second layer and once we have that completed I'll tell him I have to say goodbye to you guys and we'll 'leave' with Saito's escorts, and I'll give him the sedative in the limo. Then we can go from there." Ariadne told Dom her plan.

"Ok, when we get back to the hotel I'll call Saito. This may be easier than we thought." Dom shrugged.

* * *

**So Ariadne is going to take a stab at Brendan (not literally...at least not that I know of, but then again anything can happen...) What did you think of this chapter, more information and not as much fluff, but there will be some soon...review please! Thoughts, ideas, suggestions...all gladly accepted, encouraged, and welcome! Thank you for reading!**

**I also want to give a shout out to Legal-Assassin-006 for reviewing for I think every chapter! :D Your reviews are greatly appreciated and they help me with my writing. Thank you!  
**


	23. The Quick Events

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. It's been a busy week and I haven't had time to write, plus things are kinda uneventful so it's harder to write that...but that will change soon! So here is the next chapter. A little fast paced, but I want to get to the job already...Thank you for all the reviews! I love them! Keep reviewing! :D **

**I don't own Inception...but in a little over a month I will! (on DVD) hehe...

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"Saito?"

"Mr. Cobb…is everything alright?" Saito worriedly asked.

"Oliaro, Saito…not that having a different last name matters now, Cobol knows where we are…" Dom clutched his cell phone and sighed.

"Oh, right. Sorry Mr. Oliaro." Saito apologized.

"Don't worry about it. However, I do need a favor. We're getting ready for our job, but Ariadne needs to talk to Brendan. She wants to meet with him as soon as possible. She'll need to meet with him throughout the week. The more time she spends with him and gets him to believe what she's saying, the easier the job will be." Dom told Saito.

"Sure thing. I'll have him over in an hour."

"Thanks Saito." Dom answered before hanging up.

Ariadne walked into the room where Dom was standing. "What did he say?"

"He'll have Brendan here in an hour. Is that ok?"

Ariadne nodded. "Yes, it should give me enough time to think about how I'm going to go about talking to him."

"Ok. If you need anything, we'll be here. Don't be afraid to ask." Dom placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be fine."

"Ok." Dom nodded and walked off to find Yusuf with the kids playing a board game.

Ariadne sighed and opened the door, making her way to her and Arthur's room. She sat on the bed and began to think of what she would say to Brendan. She had to really get him to believe that she wanted to leave with him. That meant she really had to be convincing. She knew that meant disowning her family in a way. She'd have to pretend to not want anything to do with Arthur, Dom, Eames, Yusuf, and Saito.

She shook her head. She wasn't sure how she was going to pull this off, but she knew she could do it. There was a sharp knock on her door and she quickly got up and opened it.

"He's here." Dom said and watched her carefully. She swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Bring him in." She whispered. Dom nodded and motioned for them to bring him in. Saito's men practically threw him into the room and Ariadne stared at him, her face expressionless.

Brendan glanced up at her and smiled weakly. "Hey Ari."

Ariadne crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow. Brendan sighed and shifted from his position on the floor to a more comfortable sitting position.

"Look Ari, I know these past two weeks have been hard, but you gotta understand that I'm just trying to help you." Brendan explained, desperation dripping in his voice.

Ariadne uncrossed her arms and sat on the bed. "Hard would be an understatement. Do you know what I lost? You have no idea." She was failing to stay calm, and she knew that they had to get past this in order for her façade to be believable.

"Ari, you can't possibly want a kid from that criminal!"

Ariadne took a deep breath, anger slowly taking over. She inhaled and exhaled a few times before speaking up.

"Brendan why are you so against me being with Arthur?"

"He's dangerous. He has a price on his head and it's dangerous for you. If you come with me I can get you out of this mess and you'll be safe." Brendan practically pleaded.

"Why can't you just get us all out of this so called 'mess?'" Ariadne asked.

Brendan shook his head. "It's too complicated. But since you're my sister, Cobol will be more willing to drop your charges."

"Let me think about it. I can't just leave my family. My _husband_." She emphasized husband when she said it.

"Don't take too long, soon Cobol will be here and they won't show mercy."

Ariadne stared at him and called for Dom. Dom entered, his gaze instantly falling on Brendan.

"We're done for today." She told him.

"Let's go Brendan." Dom yanked Brendan up from his sitting position and tugged him along. Ariadne rubbed her face and slumped onto the bed. This was going to be harder than she thought.

She desperately wanted to talk to Arthur, to explain to him her plans and hear his voice. She missed him so much, but she wasn't sure if he would be able to talk.

Dom walked back into the room. "Are you ok?"

Ariadne looked at him and smiled softly. "Yeah. This is just going to be a lot harder than I thought."

Dom nodded in understanding. "Still want to go through with this?"

"Yes. I can do it, it's a good thing I have a week huh?" She snickered sarcastically.

Dom could tell she was nervous and frustrated, he also knew that she wanted this time alone to think and process everything. He smiled sympathetically and closed her door softly.

Ariadne laid back on the bed and closed her eyes, wishing Arthur was there. She had been wanting to call him and see how he was doing, but she wasn't sure if it was safe. She grabbed her phone and scrolled down to his number, sighing before closing her phone.

She tried to stop thinking about everything and finally fell asleep.

* * *

Arthur and Eames had made it safely to Mombasa. It was just dangerous now that they were in Cobol's playground. Eames grunted as he looked around. They had to be as inconspicuous as possible. Because of this, both of them were dressed casually, Eames had even taken a picture of Arthur, knowing this probably wouldn't happen again.

"Where to darling?"

Arthur looked around and tilted his head to the right. Eames nodded and they quickly made their way around the town, finally reaching the Headquarters.

Eames whistled and looked at the large building with huge windows. "So this is Cobol."

"This is Cobol." Arthur nodded and looked around cautiously. They had to proceed with extreme vigilance. One wrong move or step and they will be caught. Arthur had studied the layout and the locations of cameras so that he knew how he had to move to avoid being on the surveillance cameras or set off an alarm.

Eames followed Arthur, holding his gun securely just in case. Arthur led the way and within an hour they made it inside without being noticed.

"Well that took longer than I'd like." Eames mumbled. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to get captured and possibly tortured to death? No. This is the safest way. Now start recording." Arthur told Eames as he turned on his own video camera.

They walked through the halls, slowly and carefully. Making sure to get every detail they could.

"I'm going to need a lot more time to study Mr. White." Eames told Arthur. "So I'm going to need you to cover me while I get as much footage as possible of him."

Arthur nodded. The more footage they get, the better their chances of succeeding with the job. And hopefully they would be able to go home soon.

Three hours later they were getting ready to leave. Eames was planning on coming back again tomorrow, but that meant Arthur had to come with him.

"Are you sure it's really necessary to come back tomorrow? You got all the footage you need, you studied him, and you know how he talks." Arthur asked, making sure Eames was absolutely certain on this.

Eames nodded. "Much like Architecture, forging must be precise and have exact details."

"Alright. Well I have everything I need. And with the footage you got Ariadne should be able to create this level."

"I'm starving, let's go." Eames said, pushing Arthur. Just as they were stepping out into the hallway they heard gunfire. Eames shoved Arthur into a small room and they pulled out their guns.

"Damn, I didn't hear or see anything. We didn't trip an alarm did we?" Eames asked.

"I would know if we did Eames. Shh!" Arthur moved towards the door and peeked out. "We need to get out of here quick."

Eames nodded and followed Arthur, they heard more gunfire and ran through the hallways as fast as they could. Eames didn't bother looking back, he knew that they had a meeting spot if they did get split up, but when he heard Arthur's shout of pain as he got shot, he stopped and turned around. Arthur was clutching his arm and Eames rushed to him.

"Come on darling, I promised Ariadne I'd keep you safe. Let's get out of here." Arthur was running as fast as he could, but the pain was preventing him from going his fastest. Eames gripped Arthur's good arm and pulled him along, dodging bullets and finding a way to sneak out without being seen.

Arthur leaned up against a wall as Eames looked out of the small underground maze they had discovered during research.

"Well it's a good thing you're good at finding things. Otherwise we'd still be within gunshot range." Eames chuckled. Arthur scowled and gripped his bleeding arm tighter.

"We better get that fixed." Eames said soberly. Arthur growled.

"You think?"

Eames chuckled and they headed to their hotel. "I guess we're making an early trip back, I should be ok with what I have. Hopefully it will be enough."

* * *

Ariadne sighed when she woke up, she knew that today she would have to "soften up" to Brendan and start to make him believe that she's considering what he's asking of her.

She got up and took a long hot shower, hoping that today will go a lot smoother than yesterday.

"Ari?" Dom called from her room cautiously.

"In the bathroom, I'll be out in a few minutes." She answered, brushing her hair wet hair and leaving it down to dry. She wrapped her blue scarf around her neck and opened the door.

She found Brendan sitting in a chair waiting for her.

"Ari." He smiled and she had to force herself to smile back.

"Hi Brendan. Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have gone off on you like that." She painfully apologized.

"Don't worry about it sis." He shrugged.

"Ari, you gotta listen to me. You're not safe here anymore and you can't stay with these men. You have to come with me. I can protect you from Cobol." He pleaded.

She sighed and looked at him. "I know. I've spent so much time with them, it's not something I can just walk away from Brendan. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to be safe." Brendan ignored the first part of her sentence.

She nodded. "Ok. But you have to give me a few days to say goodbye. And you have to promise to get them off of Cobol's radar. At least so they can safely disperse and escape." Ariadne reasoned.

"I'll see what I can do." Brendan nodded and stared at her. "I'm glad you finally came around."

Ariadne smiled painfully and looked away. "Well you're family right?"

He grinned and stood up, walking over to her to hug her. Ariadne uncomfortably hugged him back and rubbed the bag of her neck awkwardly when he pulled away.

"It's been a while huh?" He asked.

"Yeah. Five years." Ariadne confirmed. Brendan frowned.

"I'm sorry. We're going to have to leave at the end of the week."

"So soon?" She asked anxiously. Brendan nodded.

"Cobol's probably been looking for me. The sooner we get to them, the better."

"Ok." She whispered. She wasn't sure how this was going to work out. She needed to get a hold of Arthur and Eames. It didn't matter if they didn't get everything, right now time wasn't on their side.

"Saito's men can drop us off at the airport. I'll talk to him." Ariadne told Brendan.

"Can you talk them into letting me go?"

"I don't think they'll be too happy about that. I would suggest that you just go along with them until we leave." Ariadne told him. Brendan nodded.

"Ok…"

There was a loud knock on the door and Dom rushed in. "Ok time's up." He told Brendan and shot Ariadne a panicked look.

Ariadne became alarmed and said goodbye to Brendan. Once he was gone Ariadne turned to Dom.

"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"Arthur's been shot."

"What! Is he ok?" Ariadne watched Dom carefully.

"I think so. Eames didn't say much, he did say that they're on their way back now." Dom told her.

"Do they have everything they need?"

"Yes. Eames said that the footage should be enough, and we don't have time for them to stay much longer anyways."

"Yeah, Brendan wants to leave at the end of the week. Which only gives us five days to learn everything. So we have no time." Ariadne replied, running a hand through her hair.

"We can do it, I have faith in us. I just hope Arthur can make it."

"He'll be ok." Ariadne said to convince herself more than Dom.

"They'll be here soon. Rest up and think about what we need to go over. I can build the second layer if it makes it easier on you." Dom suggested.

"I'll help you. But you can start it. I have to think some things through. Brendan seems convinced enough, but I need to make sure he believes me."

"Ok, I'll call you when they're on their way." Dom closed the door.

* * *

Arthur didn't notice the other wound he had until after they arrived at the hotel. His arm was bleeding profusely and he was in pain. His left leg was also shot, but it didn't hurt as much as his arm.

"Bloody hell Arthur! How on earth did you manage to get shot twice?" Eames asked.

"We were ambushed!" Arthur seethed. Eames shook his head and bandaged his wounds. They quickly gathered their things and headed to the airport.

"Don't pass out on me, I'm not carrying you around." Eames told Arthur. Arthur frowned and winced as he followed Eames as quickly as possible.

"I won't." Arthur mumbled and followed Eames. Luckily Saito let them use his private jet so they didn't have to wait long and they were on their way back to Tokyo in no time.

"Ariadne is going to be pissed." Eames told Arthur.

"She's going to kill me."

"She'll probably kill me first." Eames chuckled. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better, but I've also been worse." Arthur shrugged and flinched in pain.

"Just relax ok?" Eames patted Arthur's good shoulder and leaned back to sleep. Arthur sighed and allowed himself to fall asleep too.

"Ariadne, they're here!" She heard Dom calling. She quickly got up and rushed out the door. Eames and Arthur were walking in the hall. Arthur was leaning against Eames.

"Arthur!" She ran to him and examined him carefully before kissing him gently. "Are you ok? What happened? I'm going to kill you Eames." She huffed out too fast for anyone to get another word in.

"Calm down Ari. I'm fine. Just got shot. Eames wasn't at fault here…surprisingly."

"Hey!" Eames defended.

"We were ambushed. But we should have enough footage."

"It's going to have to do. Brendan wants to leave at the end of the week." Ariadne told Arthur.

"Leave? What?" Both Arthur and Eames exclaimed at the same time.

"I guess I better explain things to you huh?" Ariadne blushed.

Eames and Arthur stared at her curiously.

"First let's get you fixed up and we'll talk in Dom's room." Ariadne told Arthur.

* * *

**Alright, as I said, fast paced. I hope it came out ok...I'm not too happy with this chapter...hopefully the next chapter will be better. Let me know what you think...**

**3 Again by heart...(or in this case reviews) ;)  
**


	24. The Beginning of the End

**Here is the next chapter. It's not as rushed and I'm happier with this one...more than the last one for sure. Thank you for all the kind reviews. This chapter is indeed the beginning of the end of the story. There won't be too many more chapters, I'm hoping to wrap it up soon, I have another story in mind, but I want to finish this one first. So please review and let me know what you think!**

**I still don't own Inception...

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**

"Sit down Arthur." Ariadne gently guided Arthur to a chair and he sat down, sighing. Eames chuckled and leaned against the table, waiting for Ariadne to explain just what exactly was going on.

"Ok, so Dom and I decided that it would be a good idea to trick Brendan into thinking that I'm leaving with him." Ariadne looked nervously at Arthur, knowing he probably won't like the idea. He stiffened, but nodded for her to go on.

"So for the next few days I'm going to 'give in' and finally agree that leaving with him would be what's best for me. I will also convince him that I'm leaving not only to protect myself, but you guys also."

Eames scoffed and Ariadne glared at him. "Sorry love." He raised his hands in surrender and Ariadne shook her head.

"Arthur, we're going to have to make a scene in front of him. Fight or something. Make it believable. You think you can improv?" She asked. He raised his eyebrows at her and she laughed. "Right, of course you can."

"Ari, are you sure this is what you want to do? There are other ways around this." Arthur told her. Eames stared at her intently and shifted.

"Arthur's right. We can easily do something else and still complete the job."

"I know, but this way will be more effective. I will leave with him in Saito's limo. His water that I'll give him will be drugged, and he'll fall asleep. When he 'wakes up' in the airport he'll actually believe we are there. It makes perfect sense. That's when you guys can show up, if necessary. I think you should stay hidden for as long as possible." Ariadne stood up taller as she spoke, wanting her to look like she was holding her ground.

Arthur grinned and stood up. "You're a fast learner, kid." He kissed her forehead and she grunted.

"Kid? I'm no kid." She crossed her arms and looked at him. Eames laughed and walked up to her.

"To me you are." He patted her back playfully. "And probably to Arthur too. Seriously, how much older are you than her? Robbing the cradle much?" Eames poked fun at Arthur.

"For your information I'm 23." Ariadne protested.

"Ah, so Arthur must be well into his thirties then. Huh?"

"I'm 29, Eames. Twenty-Nine!" Arthur emphasized his age.

"Really? You do look quite old for your age." Eames feigned shock.

"Watch it mister!" Ariadne playfully poked him in the chest. "How old are you?" She asked defiantly.

"An Englishman doesn't reveal his age." Eames told her. She rolled her eyes and turned to Arthur.

"He's 33." Arthur replied, smirking as Eames glowered at him.

"I feel so betrayed."

"You are OLD!" Ariadne dramatically told him.

"Well Dom's 35! Now that's old!" Eames sneered and walked off, mumbling something about being ganged up on.

Ariadne giggled and turned to Arthur once Eames was gone. "How are you feeling?" She asked seriously.

Arthur smiled weakly at her. "I'm fine Ari. I've been in way worse situations. Ask Dom." He chuckled quietly. She nodded and smiled at him.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too. I missed you." He replied, kissing her softly on the lips. She smiled and sat carefully on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and they sighed in contentment.

"Hey lovebirds. Dom wants to meet with us." Eames called. Arthur and Ariadne sighed and stood up, walking to Dom's room.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt your reunion, but we have to discuss a few things." Dom smiled sheepishly.

"Ok. What's going on?" Ariadne asked. Dom motioned for her to come over to the table, she conceded and glanced at the model he had finished already. "You already finished the second level?" She asked skeptically.

He nodded and pointed to her what he thought they needed. "We need this to be a good maze. If he figures out at all that he's dreaming, which I don't doubt that he will, we need to be sure that we'll be able to lose his projections in the maze. And I know how you are with mazes, so I want you to design it." Dom grinned and she blushed.

"Ok. Any other features you want me to add?" She asked, picking up the model and looking it over.

"Well we need an alternate escape route or shortcut, just like the one we had in Eames' level when Fischer had to get to the safe quickly." Dom told her.

"Ok, I'll get to work on that." Ariadne turned to walk to her worktable, but Dom stopped her.

"Wait, we still have more to discuss."

"Eames, get started on profiling now. We don't have much time." Arthur turned to Eames and he nodded, making his way to his desk and opening up his laptop to start watching their video footage.

"Arthur, is there anything important that we need to know about the second level?" Dom asked him.

"We need to make security cameras and details as precise as possible. Specificity is key here. Especially in the second level. This level we need him to actually believe he is there. The third level doesn't matter so much. There we will be destroying the virus." Arthur told Ariadne and Dom. Yusuf walked in and tilted his head sideways.

"Who's going to be hacking the computer?" Yusuf asked.

"How good are you with computers?" Dom asked.

Yusuf shook his head. "Not too good."

"I'll do it." Arthur turned to Dom. "I practically live off of my laptop, I will hack into the system."

"Alright. Ariadne, you'll have to distract Brendan ok?" Dom looked at her, silently asking her if she would be able to do it.

She nodded and looked from Dom to Arthur. "What will you be doing?" She asked Dom.

"I'll be lookout and backup. If something goes wrong, I need to make sure I get you all safely out."

"Shouldn't Eames do that? You do have a family to get back to." Ariadne reasoned.

"I have to stay in the second level darling." Eames reminded her.

"Right, because you'll be Mr. White." She remembered. "And Yusuf will be in the first level. Who's going to be up top?"

"Saito. He'll monitor everything since we'll be in his limo." Arthur informed her. He walked to his desk and opened his laptop, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his leg and arm.

Ariadne noticed this but kept quiet. "Ok, so it sounds like we have things figured out, we just need details and a practice run of the levels. I need to talk to Brendan again tomorrow. Arthur, I'm going to need you to come in tomorrow in the middle of my conversation with him and we'll argue and I'll tell you that I want to leave you. We have to make him believe it though." She kept his gaze as his piercing eyes looked her over. He nodded curtly and turned back to his laptop.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." Eames clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

* * *

Later that night Ariadne collapsed next to Arthur on the bed, exhausted. "My head hurts! So much information!"

Arthur laughed softly and pulled her close. She yawned and snuggled close to him.

"I'm sorry about what I'm going to say tomorrow." She quietly apologized.

"Hey, it's ok. I know you don't mean it." Arthur told her. She nodded and closed her eyes.

"I just want all of this to be over." Her voice was becoming quieter by the minute. He hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head, listening for her breathing to become softer and even.

His last memory before he fell asleep was her muffled "I love you" into his chest.

* * *

Ariadne's eyes fluttered open as the sun streamed in through a small crack in the curtains. She sighed and rolled over to find Arthur's side of the bed vacant. She sat up and looked around.

"Arthur?" She called, her voice cracking.

Arthur walked out of the bathroom without a shirt. Ariadne frowned as she looked at his bandage.

"Good morning. Did you sleep ok?" Arthur asked as he walked over to her and leaned in to kiss her. She nodded and ran her hand over his wound gently.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. "Is your leg alright?"

Arthur chuckled and looked at her, his eyes softening. "I'm fine Ari, really. You don't have to worry about me. I've been through way worse, this is nothing compared to some of that stuff."

She eyed him warily and nodded. "Ok."

"You better get ready, today is going to be a long day." Arthur told her, pulling her up and wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace and sighed contently.

Ariadne walked out of the bathroom an hour later, dressed in a blue t-shirt, jeans, and a light blue scarf. Her hair was hanging loosely and she walked to Dom's room, mentally preparing herself for the conversation she knew she would be having today.

"Hey. Are you ready?" Dom asked when she entered the room. Everyone turned to look at her and she nodded.

"Yes. Is he here?"

Dom nodded and motioned for her to follow him. "Did you want me to bring him to your room?"

"No, if he sees all of Arthur's stuff he'll be suspicious. It's best if we do it in another room."

Dom led her into an empty room, one that Saito gladly let them use. "In here, I'll have Brendan be brought in."

"Ok, thanks." Ariadne whispered nervously.

"Hey, it'll be fine." Dom put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm just not too thrilled about having to say such awful things to Arthur when he comes in." She sighed.

"He understands and he knows you don't mean it." Dom told her, looking in her eyes.

"It doesn't make it any less painful." She reasoned.

"Yes, but Arthur knows you love him and this has to be done." Dom reasoned back.

Ariadne nodded and smiled at Dom gratefully. "Thank you Dom, bring Brendan in and tell Arthur to come in around thirty minutes later."

"Ok, good luck. We'll be in the other room, call when you're ready."

She sat on the bed and fiddled with her scarf, thinking about what she would say to Arthur and Brendan.

"Hey sis." Brendan's voice broke through her reverie.

"Brendan, hi." She smiled and stood up, walking to him. She hesitated for a second then pulled him into a hug.

"I thought about what you said, and you're right." Ariadne whispered to him. Brendan pulled back, looking at her suspiciously.

"Are you sure? Before you were giving me a hard time about even suggesting it."

She nodded. "Brendan, you're right. We're all we have left. We have to take care of each other and if taking care of each other means leaving them, I will do it." It pained her to say these words, but she had to in order for them to get the job done.

Brendan grinned and pulled her into a hug. "Have you told them yet?"

"No." She sighed.

"You better tell them, they're not going to be happy about it though."

"I know. They'll want to shoot you, but if I tell them not to, they'll listen to me." She said.

"And you're willing to leave Arthur?" He asked skeptically.

"If you promise that when we leave you can make sure they get away safe. At least give them a head start so they can go into hiding." She stared at him, her eyes telling him not to disagree with her.

He nodded. "Ok. You better tell them then."

There was a knock at the door and Ariadne's heart dropped. This was the part she was dreading.

"Ari?" Arthur opened the door and looked at her and scowled at Brendan. "Everything ok in here?"

"Yes." She replied, turning to look at Arthur, her eyes apologizing.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Arthur, I'm going to leave with Brendan." Ariadne told him, her voice firm and final.

"What? No, you can't!" Arthur rushed towards her, faking shock. She pulled away from him and internally flinched.

"Arthur, Brendan's right, he's all I have left. We need to take care of each other, and if I go with him now, you'll be safe." She told him, avoiding his touch.

Arthur pulled back from her, hurt. "Ari. You can't do this. I love you."

"I don't love you Arthur." She whispered and looked down. "I'm sorry."

Ariadne couldn't look at Arthur's face. The pain in his eyes would be too much for her and she wouldn't be able to go through with this.

"You're just saying that to get me to leave." He told her. She shook her head.

"No, Arthur. Go. I can't live this lie anymore. And Brendan's right, how can I live with a criminal. Someone who will be a fugitive for the rest of their life. I can't. Just, go. Please go." She whispered, holding back tears.

Arthur slumped and turned around. "I still love you." He told her before exiting the room.

"It's for the best sis." Brendan tried comforting her. She nodded and turned to him. "And now you can finish school. Have you talked to your professors?"

"No. I haven't been in contact with Professor Miles in a while. He's probably wondering where I am. I'll get a hold of him when we get back." She told Brendan.

"You better tell the rest of the team." Brendan urged her. "The hardest part is done."

"I'll do it on my own. I'll be right back." She whispered before leaving.

Arthur was waiting for her in Dom's room. The plan was for her to pretend to tell them about going with Brendan, then she would go back to talk to him, and after Eames would take him back to Saito.

The door opened slowly and Ariadne walked in. When she saw Arthur she hugged him. "I'm sorry Arthur. I didn't mean any of it."

"Ari, I know. It's all an act. Don't worry about it. You had me convinced for a moment." He joked lightly. She pulled back and smiled softly.

"I learned from the best."

"Why thank you darling." Eames said.

"I meant Dom and Arthur." She joked and looked at him.

"Hey!" Eames placed a hand on his chest, feigning hurt.

She laughed. "I learned from all of you. When I go back in there I have to tell him that you guys didn't take it well. Eames, go easy on him, but make it believable when you take him back to Saito. He has to think you guys are angry."

"Well that won't be too hard to do." Eames replied and looked at Arthur.

"Where's Dom?" Ariadne asked, looking around the room.

"He and Yusuf went to visit his kids. Dom also has to call Miles. He needs to let him know what's going on, he's been left in the dark for so long now." Arthur informed Ariadne.

"Oh. Well I'll see them later. Give me five minutes." Ariadne turned to Eames. He nodded and he and Arthur watched as she left the room.

"She's a trooper." Eames told Arthur. Arthur nodded and smiled proudly.

Brendan was sitting on the bed when Ariadne walked in.

"How'd it go?" He asked, standing up.

"As good as it could I guess." She shrugged and frowned. "They're coming in to take you back to Saito. I told them not to do anything bad to you. I can't guarantee they won't though."

Brendan nodded. "I can't believe you're actually going to do this."

"You were right. And I can't lose you again." She said.

"Times up. Let's go!" Eames roared and barged in as he grabbed Brendan.

"I'll see you tomorrow, they're going to let us go then!" Ariadne called out.

* * *

Eames tugged Brendan and when they were in the car he punched him. Brendan clutched his eye and frowned.

"Ari said you wouldn't hurt me."

"That was just talk, you deserve to be punched, you deserve much more. But for her sake we're going to let you live." Eames growled.

"She's not going to be happy about this." Brendan said.

"Well she'll get over it. She'll be with you." Eames made a face and turned to look out the window, not wanting to look at Brendan right now.

* * *

Ariadne sighed, glad that this part was over. Tomorrow they would be going inside his head and hopefully after that everything will be over.

She walked into Dom's room and to her surprise Yusuf, Dom, and the kids were in there.

"How'd it go?" Dom asked, his face grave.

"Good. I think he believes me. It should make it easier for us tomorrow." She replied.

"Auntie Ari!" James ran to her and grabbed her leg.

"Hey James." She chuckled and patted his head.

"Where's Arthur?" She turned to Dom.

"He went to your room I think."

"Ok. He mentioned you called Miles."

Dom nodded. "Yes, he wasn't too happy that we didn't tell him what's going on, but he's just glad we're safe. He said that he'll make an excuse for you to the other professors. You should be able to go back and finish up school."

"Thank you." Ariadne smiled. James was still clinging to her leg.

"James, let Auntie Ari go. She has to go talk to Uncle Artie." Dom told him.

"Can I come!" Both James and Philippa asked and looked at Dom with eager eyes.

"Let them have time to talk, they'll come back to play with you later." Dom told them.

They pouted, but nodded. "Okay."

Ariadne mouthed a thank you to Dom and left the room. She opened their door slowly and looked around. Arthur was laying on the bed. She grinned and made her way over to him. She crawled on the bed and cuddled next to him.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hi." She looked up at him and kissed him. He pulled her closer.

"Tomorrow is going to be dangerous. If Cobol finds us, they'll kill us all, maybe even Brendan." He told her.

"They won't find us. We'll be ok." She said, convincing herself more than Arthur.

Arthur nodded and looked at her. Slowly leaning in, he kissed her softly, she pulled him closer to her and their kiss became more passionate. Feeling the pain in his arm and leg, Arthur flinched. Ariadne stopped, but he pulled her back, shaking his head and ignoring the pain. Ariadne was hesitant at first, but soon gave in once her senses decided to take over instead of her mind.

When their clothes came off, they didn't remember. It was a time of desperation and love. Anything could happen tomorrow, and they wanted time together before the job.

* * *

**So what did you think? Good? Bad? The next chapter will be the first layer of the dream! :O Review please!**


	25. The First Layer

**So I finally was able to update. Jeez, things have been so hectic and overwhelming! But I got this out...I hope you all like it, and please review! Let me know what you think...the story is coming to an end...there will be at least four more chapters and an epilogue, but we'll see...so here you go! **

**Inception I don't own...

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Arthur and Ariadne woke up wrapped in each other's arms. Arthur opened his eyes slowly and looked at Ariadne. Her big brown eyes were gazing into his nervously.

"Sleep well?" He asked softly, trying to comfort her and distract her from the mission. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes, did you?" She asked, he grinned and kissed her gently.

"One of the best nights of sleep I have had in a while." He replied. Her smile widened and she sat up, pulling the sheets up with her.

"I better go get dressed. I have to meet Brendan soon." She sighed and got up, quickly gathering her clothing and rushing to the bathroom. Arthur watched her and admired her beauty, he stretched before also getting up and getting ready for the day.

Ariadne walked out of the bathroom with wet hair and she smiled at Arthur as he quickly stepped into the bathroom. He took a quick shower and shaved, making himself look as clean-cut and professional as possible.

Half an hour later both Arthur and Ariadne were ready for the day. Hopefully nothing would go wrong and the job would get done smoothly. They knocked on Dom's door and weren't surprised to find Yusuf, Eames, and Saito in there already.

"Where's Dom?" Ariadne asked, looking around for him.

"He took the kids to a sitter, he'll be back soon." Saito replied in his heavy accent.

"Is everyone ready?" Arthur asked, turning professional.

"Darling, I was born ready." Eames replied cockily. Arthur rolled his eyes and turned to Yusuf and Saito.

"Everything should run smoothly. I worked out the kink in the previous sedative, so being killed in the dream shouldn't send us to limbo." Yusuf informed Arthur.

"And my drivers will be ready, as soon as Ariadne and Brendan get in the limo and he drinks the water we should be able to begin." Saito said, watching Ariadne.

Ariadne was standing confidently next to Arthur. "I'm ready." She replied reassuringly.

Arthur nodded and turned to Saito. "Ok, call your men, tell them to bring Brendan into our room. Ari has her bags packed so it should look like she's ready to leave."

Saito nodded and pulled out his phone speaking in Japanese. He closed his phone when he was finished. "They'll be here in five minutes." He informed everyone.

"Ok Ari, head over to the room now, we'll be no more than five minutes behind you. The sedative should come into effect by then." Arthur told her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.

"Ok, I'll see you all soon." She said quietly as she exited the room.

Sure enough five minutes later Brendan was brought into the room by Saito's men. He stumbled in and Ariadne helped him stand up.

"What happened to your eye!" She shrieked. He gently brought his hand up and touched it.

"That idiot Eames punched me. I'm fine though." He assured her. She frowned and nodded.

"You ready? They should be taking us to the airport without any problems." Ariadne told Brendan.

"Yes, let's go sis." He followed her out of the room and Saito's men led them to the limo. They crawled in, not without angry glares, and carefully sat in the back of the limo.

Ariadne pulled out a bottle of champagne and poured herself a glass before pouring one for Brendan, sneaking in the sedative when he wasn't looking. She smiled and handed him the cup.

"To family." She replied, holding up her cup.

"To family." He echoed, clinking their glasses together and taking a drink. Ariadne talked softly to Brendan as she saw his eyelids becoming heavier. Soon he was completely asleep and she moved to open the door for the rest of the team.

"He's asleep, let's get started." She said as she opened the door and let them in. Arthur entered first, pulling out the PASIV device and hooking Brendan up first. Ariadne moved to sit next to Arthur and he gently inserted the needle into her wrist. She lay back, watching him. Dom moved next to Ariadne and Eames quickly followed Dom, laying next to him. Yusuf crawled in and sat next to Brendan, he eyed him warily and held out his wrist. Saito was the last to enter, he sat towards the door and closed it, nodding.

"Alright, first layer, remember the plans?" Arthur asked. Everyone nodded and he counted down. "Three, two, one…"

* * *

Ariadne's eyes fluttered open and she was sitting in a seat in the airport. Brendan was reading a book next to her and she sat up, making a small noise.

"What are you reading?" She asked looking over his shoulder.

He closed it quickly. "Nothing. How'd you sleep?" He asked and turned to face her.

"Fine." She sighed and looked around. "Our flight is soon." She told him and spotted the team, each in their disguise. Brendan nodded and looked around. Ariadne panicked as she saw him turning towards where Eames and Arthur were standing.

"Hey Brendan, what are we going to do when we get back? You have something planned right?" She asked him, letting out a relieved sigh when his gaze turned towards her.

"I uh, haven't thought about that yet." He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed and looked away from her.

"Oh." She simply replied. "Brendan, what exactly did you get yourself into? Why are you so afraid of Cobol?"

His head snapped up and his jaw tightened. "Ari, that's not any of your business." He replied, a little harshly.

"It's plenty of my business Brendan, I'm going home with you. I gave up everything for you, I deserve some kind of explanation." She held his gaze and Brendan finally sighed, giving in.

"After mom and dad died I left because I needed space. You reminded me too much of them and I just couldn't handle it. So while I was on my own I had to earn money. It was easy at first. I did some yard work for a little while, but soon rent became too much for me and I had to find a better paying job. That's when I came across an extractor. I don't remember his name or anything, but I do remember he told me that there was this company hiring young men and to look into it. I was desperate, so I went. It turned out that Cobol Engineering needed someone to track down extractors and find some to work for them…"

Ariadne nodded for him to continue. " I searched, but each team I found failed miserably. That's when I heard about Dom and Arthur, the dynamic duo. They were legendary and apparently extremely hard to find, but I did it, I found them. Their job was to extract information from Saito, they failed and Cobol was angry. My orders were to kill them, but I couldn't do that. The last thing I remember before changing my mind was being knocked out and when I woke up I convinced myself to get this job done. When I found out that you were living with them I had to protect you, save you from Cobol. I negotiated with them and they agreed to let you go if I killed the team and brought you with me." He told her.

Tears were stinging in her eyes. She felt so betrayed and used. Ariadne quickly pushed down all emotions and looked down, not wanting Brendan to see the anger and hurt in her eyes.

"So you used me?" She asked softly. Brendan shook his head violently.

"No! Ari, no I would never do that to you." He replied. She sucked in a breath and looked up at him.

"But it's exactly what you did. You manipulated me and made me believe you." She whispered to him.

"Ari, I did it to protect you."

"At what costs? Those people you're going to kill, they were my friends, my family. They were there for me when you weren't and you expect me to just stand by and watch this?" She stood up.

Brendan quickly followed her, grabbing her arm. "Ari wait! I'm sorry. Please, just let's talk about this later." He pleaded. She sighed and glanced behind Brendan where she saw Arthur, forged as one of Brendan's friends, watching her intently. He looked ready to pull out a gun and shoot if he had to.

She returned her gaze to Brendan and nodded. "Fine."

Brendan sighed, relieved and looked up at the flight schedules. "We're going to be boarding soon, let's get our things and head to the gate."

Ariadne nodded and as she picked up her bag she sent a thumbs up to Dom, glad that she got the first part of her job done.

"Where are we going Brendan?" She asked quietly.

"We have to go to Cobol's Headquarters. I have to talk to Mr. White and get things settled with you before I can go back for Cobb and the rest of the team." He replied.

She stiffened a little, but knowing that they were in a dream she relaxed. Brendan didn't notice any of her body movements, he was too focused on getting on the plane and not being followed.

Once they boarded the plane he allowed himself to relax more. Ariadne asked for apple juice and Brendan asked for some water. As she grabbed Brendan's water she slipped in a sedative, knowing that the second level would be a little harder.

Brendan was out within minutes and Dom, Eames, Arthur, and Yusuf quickly made their way over.

"I noticed something strange." Ariadne turned to Dom, worry etched on her face.

"The projections aren't violent at all." Dom finished for her. "Arthur and I noticed the same thing."

"Is that normal?" Ariadne asked.

"Either he's never been trained or exposed to a dream or he's been trained way better than we expected and at any moment projections could come and kill us within seconds." Arthur explained.

"He had to have been exposed, but if so don't you think it could be the virus kicking in?" Eames asked, considering options.

Everyone turned to look at Eames, impressed expressions on their faces.

"Hey! I am smarter than you all give me credit for! I don't need your condescension!" He defended. Everyone chuckled but quickly sobered up.

"If the virus is worse than we thought that could be a problem in the third level." Arthur sighed, rubbing his face.

"What? What does that mean?" Ariadne asked, worry laced in her voice.

"It means that the virus may be too far advanced to destroy. If this is true, there is nothing we can do for him and soon that virus will tell him to do something irrational. Whether it's killing himself or killing all of us we won't know until the third level." Dom finished explaining.

Ariadne looked at her brother, her expression unreadable.

"Hey, we'll do everything we can ok?" Arthur touched her shoulder gently.

"You guys need to hurry, the sedative Ariadne gave him will wear off if we don't get all of you hooked up." Yusuf urged them. They nodded and Arthur moved to sit next to Ariadne, grabbing her hand after they inserted their needles. Lucky for them Ariadne made sure to put them in first class in the plane, so there wouldn't be any interruptions.

"Are all of you ready?" Yusuf asked, getting ready to push the button on the PASIV.

They nodded. "Okay, see you up top! Good luck."

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**This chapter was a little shorter, but overall I'm happy with it...REview please! :D I will try to update again soon, but I have so many papers and tons of homework due within the next two weeks, plus I'm attempting the NaNoWriMo which is going ok, so I may be busy all this month, but I will try to update as much as possible! **

**Again by 3  
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	26. The Second Layer

**Yay! Finally got a new chapter up! Sorry about the delay, but school has been so busy and I had tons of papers to get done. And when I did have free time, I didn't feel like writing because I had been writing a lot of papers. So here is finally the next chapter. Luckily my semester ends in like 10 days, so I will be able to finish this up and start a new story. I will be uploading a few oneshots soon. And this story will be ending in three or four more chapters, and there will be an epilogue, I don't know if that's included in the three or four more chapters yet, we'll see. So anyways, here's the next chapter. Please review! Let me know what you think and let me know that you're sitll with me! :D Thanks for reading!**

**I don't own Inception, but in 11 days I will own it on DVD! :D

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Arthur looked around as he suddenly appeared in what was Cobol Headquarters. Ariadne and Dom did an amazing job with the layout and he hoped Brendan wouldn't take too much notice in his surroundings.

"Arthur, this way." Eames and Dom called as they made their way to the men's room. Arthur quickly followed them and watched as Eames and Dom changed into Mr. White and a Cobol employee. Arthur made his way to the mirror and concentrated hard, when he opened his eyes he was no longer Arthur, but a Cobol employee. Pleased with himself he grinned and turned to Eames, whose eyebrows were raised in amusement. Dom chuckled and shook his head.

"Alright, we need to find Ariadne and Brendan. Eames, remember to twist his words enough so that he'll believe that letting us go is in the best interest for all of us." Arthur told Eames.

"Arthur, I know what I'm doing. Let me do my job." Eames scoffed and stalked out of the bathroom, in search of Ariadne and Brendan.

"Arthur, relax. Everything will be fine." Dom assured Arthur. Arthur looked at him and sighed.

"Come on, we need to be close behind in case something happens." Arthur said, ignoring Dom's questioning look. It was strange to see each other as different people, but knowing who they really were. Arthur still had trouble adjusting to forging into people and seeing other people being forged into.

* * *

Ariadne blinked quickly and looked around her. She was inside Cobol Engineering and she was pleased with her and Dom's work. If this wasn't such a critical mission, she would be impressed with how well they could work together. Brendan came walking up to her. He was wearing a nice dark grey suit and black tie.

"Ari, come on, Mr. White wants to meet with us." Brendan called her over and she stood up, shuffling over to him.

"Nice outfit." Brendan commented. She was wearing the same tan outfit that Arthur put her in when they were in the second layer of the Inception job.

"Thanks." She replied, following Brendan and glancing around to spot her team.

"What are you looking for?" Brendan asked before knocking on the door.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just taking in this amazing architecture." She lied, hoping Brendan wouldn't notice. He shrugged and waited for someone to open the door for them.

"Ah, Brendan. Come in." Mr. White (Eames) opened the door wider to allow them access.

"Thank you sir." Brendan nodded and ushered Ariadne in. Ariadne took in the large office, proud of her work.

"Now, you were here to discuss something with me. Am I right?" Mr. White asked Brendan. Brendan nodded and glanced at Ariadne.

"My sister and I have a proposition for you." Brendan replied, standing up straight. Ariadne inhaled slowly and held her breath as she waited to hear how Brendan would start this off.

"You know I don't make negotiations." Mr. White responded gravely. Ariadne knew that Eames was making it harder on purpose, the more insistent Brendan would be, the more it would stick with him.

"I know sir, but I was hoping you'd hear me out first." Brendan hid his desperation well. His voice was steady and unwavering.

"Alright, sit down." Mr. White motioned for them to take a seat. Ariadne stared at Eames briefly before allowing her body to plump nervously into the chair.

"My sister worked with Dom Cobb and Arthur. I told her that I could talk to you about removing the price on her head. The rest of the team is fair game for you." Brendan explained. Ariadne's head snapped up.

"Brendan, you promised!" She hissed, panic rising in her.

He held up a hand and shook his head. She frowned and watched as Eames face remained expressionless.

"What makes you think I'll remove the price on her head? What if the whole team is worth more together?" Mr. White asked. Brendan exhaled and kept his gaze on Mr. White.

"I never said I expected you to or know you will remove the price, I'm asking if you will." Brendan replied.

"You have to let my team get a head start at least." Ariadne blurted out. Brendan turned to her, an angry look on his face.

"Why would I do that?" Mr. White asked.

"Brendan you promised to ask!" She whispered to him. He sighed and turned to Mr. White.

"It's part of the deal. If you let her go and give them a head start, we'll tell you where they were."

"Are you sure that's a wise thing to ask me?" Mr. White asked, slowly getting angry. "Is it worth your life and job?"

"For my sister I would do it. So yes, it's worth it." Brendan replied coolly. Ariadne let out a relieved sigh inwardly. Brendan took the bait, now he'll ask in person if they got that far. The next level would be trickier.

"This team is worth too much together, I can't just let her go and tell people that the team is worth just as much without her. She has quite the reputation already." Mr. White told Brendan. Brendan frowned and looked at Ariadne.

"Either you give me all of them, or they all live as fugitives." Mr. White continued. Araidne was holding her breath, waiting to see how Brendan would react.

Brendan was frozen in place; his jaw set and Ariadne could tell he was thinking things through.

"What if…what if I asked you to take the price off of all their heads?" Brendan finally replied. Ariadne looked at him surprised, but Brendan just ignored her.

"Now that is a big request Brendan." Mr. White replied.

"Yes, but sir, if there is no other option, that's the one I'm going to bring up to you." Brendan straightened up and looked Mr. White in the eye. Mr. White observed him and then turned to Ariadne.

"Your brother really has guts." Mr. White told her. She nodded slightly and let out a soft smile.

"So, what's your decision, Sir?" Brendan asked, hoping to get his attention off Ariadne.

"I'll need some time to think about it." Mr. White answered. "The money I will lose isn't worth letting them go."

"If you won't let them go, I'll help them escape!" Brendan blurted out. The shock on Ariadne's face was priceless. She didn't think Brendan would be so willing to help the team. She knew that he would do anything to keep her safe, but his sudden change of heart worried her.

"Brendan, are you sure? Just a few days ago you were set against helping them. You made me leave my husband…" Ariadne trailed off.

Brendan nodded, "Yes, I'll do this for you."

"I don't think Arthur will want me back, especially after what I told him. I was so cold and cruel to him." Ariadne whispered, holding back sobs. Brendan pulled her closer.

"I'll talk to him." He whispered into her hair. Mr. White cleared his throat and they pulled away.

"I'm afraid I can't just let them go."

"Well then I quit, and this team will be safe with me." Brendan defiantly replied, before pulling Ariadne out of the room. She looked over her shoulder at Mr. White, who shrugged. The events definitely turned out differently than they expected.

* * *

Meanwhile, Arthur and Dom were walking casually through the halls. No projections were attacking and it was oddly quiet.

"Dom, I have a bad feeling about this." Arthur mumbled. Dom turned to him and sighed.

"I have to agree with you. There hasn't been anything. Not a gunshot, not a glance. There definitely is something wrong."

"Do you think it's because of the virus?" Arthur asked. Suddenly a shot was fired at them from out of nowhere. Arthur ducked as Dom pulled out his gun.

"What the hell was that?" Dom asked, crouching next to Arthur behind the wall.

"I don't know. I just mentioned the virus…" Arthur replied as a round of shots was fired at them. Dom and Arthur looked at each other knowingly.

"That must be it's defensive system. If it suspects we know or knows we know about it, it attacks." Dom whispered to Arthur. Arthur nodded.

"Well now we know why the projections weren't reacting. They have a different reaction. They're trained differently. Because of the…uh, yeah, they attack if it feels threatened. This is going to make it much harder on the next layer." Arthur sighed, and rubbed his face. Dom nodded.

"We should be able to handle it." Dom replied. Arthur looked at him incredulously. "What, I'm trying to stay positive here." Dom defended.

"I know, I just don't think that way." Arthur said. "The shooting stopped."

"Don't be too sure." Dom answered as he looked around the corner. The projections looked calm and there weren't any gunshots. "Alright, let's go. Ariadne and Brendan should be done meeting with Eames."

Arthur nodded and followed him, but as he stepped around the corner he was shot. Dom turned around at the sound and watched as Arthur clutched his side and fell to the floor.

"Arthur!" Dom shouted and rushed over to him.

"I guess I'm going to be the target huh?" Arthur tried to lighten the mood but Dom frowned as he flinched. Arthur was no longer disguised as a Cobol Employee, all of his focus was on the pain and Dom was worried that Brendan and Ariadne would walk by and Brendan would recognize him.

"I'm going to call Eames and tell him to let Ariadne know that she needs to sedate him. We need to get you to the next level. You're the one in charge of that dream Arthur. Will you be able to make it?" Dom asked worriedly. "I could do it for you and you can wait up top for us. I could get you out of this now."

Arthur shook his head. "No, I'll do it. Ariadne needs me there with her. And you're incompetent when it comes to computers."

"I'm not that bad." Dom defended, hoping that this light banter would help keep his mind off of the pain.

"Dom, last time we let you try to extract something from a computer, you planted a virus, caused all the projections to turn on you, and we couldn't get the computer to work." Arthur replied.

Dom sighed. "Ok, fine. But will you be able to last long enough. Once you're gone, the dream will collapse."

"I can do it." Arthur replied, gasping as he shifted. "Ariadne is going to be pissed." He mumbled and Dom chuckled.

"Ok, let's get you up, now that they are after you, we have to be more cautious. They won't be after me, but because I'm with you, it's more risky.

"Sorry." Arthur coughed as Dom helped him stand up. "Call Eames." He told Dom, in short breaths. Dom nodded and pulled out his phone.

"Eames. Change into a regular employee and offer Brendan and Ariadne a glass of water. We need to get to the next level now. Arthur's been shot."

"What? How the bloody hell did that happen?" Eames asked.

"The projections react strangely whenever we say infection. Well the other word, but don't say it. Arthur learned the hard way. We didn't think they'd keep attacking him, but they are. So meet us in the conference room and have the PASIV device ready." Dom ordered quickly, wrapping his arm around Arthur and supporting his weight.

* * *

"Right love, be here in five. That should give me enough time." Eames replied and shut his phone.

He walked to the nearest mirror and changed into another employee. He walked swiftly to the lobby where he saw Ariadne lead Brendan.

"Brendan, sir, would you like to have some water while you wait for you ride?" Eames asked. Brendan looked at Ariadne, silently asking her if she wanted to get a drink.

"I am pretty thirsty." She replied, knowing that the employee was Eames.

"Alright, just a glass of water." Brendan followed Eames. Eames nodded and smirked as he pulled out a bottle of water and secretly slipped in the sedative. He handed Brendan the bottle and he took a drink and fell asleep within minutes.

"What's going on?" Ariadne asked. This wasn't part of the plan. They were supposed to get to a hotel and enter the next dream there.

"We've come across some complications. We have to get into the next layer now." Eames told her, changing from the Cobol employee back to himself.

"Why, what happened?" Ariadne asked just as Dom and Arthur burst into the room. "Arthur!" Ariadne shrieked and rushed to him.

"I'm fine." Arthur panted as he sat down in a chair. He hissed in pain and Ariadne was at his side instantly, holding his hand and looking at Arthur and Dom waiting for an explanation.

"Arthur was shot." Eames replied.

"I can see that." Ariadne snapped. "I want to know what happened to caused him to get shot."

"The projections react when we talk about the v…the infection. I think it's their defensive mechanism." Dom informed her.

"They attacked because Arthur said vi…"

"Ari, don't say it!" Arthur shouted, covering her mouth. Ariadne pulled his hand away and looked at him, her eyes wide. "I can't risk you getting hurt too. We need you and I can't bear to see something happen to you." Arthur's breaths were becoming more and more shallow. He was losing blood quickly.

"We need to get you into the next level now. If we wait too long, it will be too late." Dom told Ariadne, grabbing Arthur gently and pulling him to the floor. Ariadne helped Dom and they laid him down. She took her place next to him, stroking his cheek and laying down. She grabbed his hand and he laced their fingers together.

"I'll be fine. We have to get this done and we'll be fine." Arthur tried to convince Ariadne.

"Are you sure you don't just want Dom to go down with me and handle this?"

"I'm inept when it comes to computers." Dom told her. "Arthur is the one who can is computer savvy. We just have to get this done fast, if now, the dream will collapse if Arthur doesn't make it on this level."

Ariadne nodded. "Ok, well let's get going."

Eames quickly handed everyone an IV. "Alright everyone ready?"

Dom, Arthur, and Ariadne nodded. Ariadne stole one last glance at Arthur and he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I'll see you all up top." Eames replied. "And I'll keep an eye on Arthur here." He quickly added as Ariadne looked at him, worry in her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was Arthur's soft eyes staring into hers.

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**Was it too short? I hope it wasn't, I worked hard on it...especially after a long gap of writer's block and no motivation to write because of school...let me know what you think...I'll try to update again soon! Reviews are love! **


	27. The Third Layer

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. These past two weeks have been hectic with preparing for finals and finals. So I haven't had time to write. But I finally am able to! My last final is on Thursday which means I can write more as long as I'm not working all the time. So here is the next chapter. I hope you all like it. I ended it where I did because it felt right for me. So anyways, read and review! I hope you all are still reading despite the fact that it's taken me so long to update! Anyways, without further ado, here is the next chapter!**

**I don't own Inception, but I do own it on DVD! YAY! :D

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Ariadne woke up next to Arthur, which caused her to sit up in a rush, looking around her cautiously. If she woke up next to Arthur, there was a good chance Brendan was somewhere near. Sighing in relief she closed her eyes briefly before stealing a glance at Arthur, who was sitting up slowly, a worried look on his face.

"What?" Ariadne asked, alarmed. Arthur shook his head slowly and took her hand in his, kissing it softly.

"We need to hurry. Dom should be around here somewhere." Arthur told her, standing up and dusting off his neatly pressed suit. He held out his hand for her and she took it, pulling herself up and gasping when she saw Brendan walking around calling out for her.

"You need to go, Arthur!" She hissed, pushing him carefully out of view. "Make it to the computer room, find Dom, and I'll meet you there once I convince him that he has to change our information."

Arthur nodded, smirking at her bossiness. "See you soon." He said, waving over his shoulder as he broke into a jog towards the large computer lab just around the corner.

Ariadne tugged on her scarf and straightened up as she called out to Brendan.

"I'm over here Brendan!" She called out. Brendan stopped shouting and quickly made his way over to her.

"What happened?" Brendan asked curiously, no hint of suspicion in his voice.

"We were talking with Mr. White and we left, but we were tired so we decided to sleep on the train. I woke up before you and decided not to bother you while the train was idle so I wandered in here five minutes ago." Ariadne lied, hoping Brendan would take the bait.

Brendan's forehead scrunched up in thought and after what seemed like hours to Ariadne, he nodded in acceptance. She bit her lip and looked down, not wanting to lie to Brendan, but knowing this was necessary.

"Come on, we need to get onto one of the computers." Brendan tugged on her arm and grunted as she stood in place. "What's wrong?" He asked, becoming wary and looking around.

"Brendan, I need to get a hold of Arthur. I have to fix things with him, he can help us. He's a genius with computers." She replied, her eyes darting to Brendan in worry. She really hoped this wouldn't cause a weird outburst from Brendan, but if she could get him to trust Arthur, they could destroy the virus and she would be able to live an enjoyable life with her brother and husband.

"Do you want to give him a call and have him meet us here?" Brendan asked uncertainly. He exhaled and waited for her answer. She nodded and looked at him with nervous eyes. "He'll answer." He encouraged her.

"I hope so." She bit her lip and took the phone from Brendan's hand. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't go anywhere." Brendan nodded at her and leaned against the nearest wall, looking around. He spotted someone walking but decided to just let it go.

Ariadne quickly dialed Arthur's number and waited for him to pick up.

"How'd it go?" Arthur asked, worry etched in his voice.

"Good. He suggested I call you, so when you come back we have to be convincing enough. He has to know that we're a little cautious around each other but then we can do a big make up scene if you want." Ariadne told him.

Arthur chuckled and Ariadne smiled. "Whatever you want to do."

"Well meet us in ten minutes, I'll tell him that you followed us on the airplane. He should buy it. How are you feeling?" She asked quickly, remembering that he wasn't doing too well up top.

"I'm fine." Arthur quickly replied, too quickly for Ariadne's taste.

She sighed. "I know you're lying, but we need to get this done fast. Have you gotten together with Dom?"

"Yes, he's right here. We'll meet you soon." Arthur answered.

"Ok. See you soon." She smiled as she shut the phone and slowly turned around towards Brendan.

"So?" He asked, wanting to know that he didn't ruin Ariadne's best relationship.

"He's coming to meet us. We're going to talk some more in person." She smiled weakly, rubbing her shoes together.

"Good." Brendan smiled at his sister, glad that there could be a happy ending for her.

Ariadne grinned and looked around for Arthur. She knew that he was keeping how he was feeling from her and she wanted to get this done fast.

"There he is." Brendan told her after he spotted Arthur and Dom coming their way five minutes after Ariadne talked on the phone with Arthur. She turned around quickly and saw Arthur and Dom walking. Arthur looked pale, but his posture was perfect nonetheless.

"Arthur." She smiled weakly and walked up to him. Brendan stepped away from them and Dom moved to stand next to him.

"So you decided to give them a chance huh? Even after forcing Ariadne to leave us, to leave him." Dom whispered bitterly to Brendan. Brendan flinched, knowing he deserved that. He blinked a few times before slowly turning to Dom.

"I was stupid. I should have listened to Ari, but there's just some part of me that can't control my decisions sometimes and I don't know why." Brendan admitted to Dom, his forehead creasing as he spoke. Dom frowned and ran his hand through his hair.

"I think I know what's going on." Dom finally said. Brendan whipped his head to face Dom and curiosity was evident by the way his eyebrows were raised.

"What do you mean?" Brendan asked nervously.

Dom sighed, worried that if he said it out loud, projections would suddenly show up and attack them. He turned to Arthur, who he knew was listening to the conversation with Ariadne, and he nodded.

Arthur grabbed Ariadne's hand gently and kissed it, pulling her to stand with Dom and Brendan.

"We think Cobol planted a virus in your head. Some of the decisions you make aren't your own, but predetermined ones that Cobol incepted into your mind. This could have happened anytime when you were being interviewed for the job or recently when you were sent to capture or kill us." Arthur explained, his senses heightened knowing that there was a high risk of being attacked now.

Brendan swallowed nervously and turned to Ariadne. His eyes were wide with panic and she couldn't control the lump in her throat as she saw her brother in distress.

"Brendan…" She whispered, moving to him and pulling him into a hug.

"I suspected something was wrong, but everytime I thought about it, it would just go away. I would shrug it off and think it was just me being paranoid." Brendan trembled as he clutched onto Ariadne.

"Arthur and Dom are going to try to destroy the virus. We need to get to a computer fast though." Ariadne explained, she kept out the part about Arthur having been shot up in the second layer, not sure if telling him everything would be for the best, but Dom spoke up.

"Yes, Arthur was shot up in the second dream level, your projections seemed to get extremely violent when we talked about the virus. So it might not be safe here." Dom said and Arthur and Ariadne frowned. They didn't like the idea of telling Brendan he'd been dreaming all along.

"I figured I was dreaming." Brendan replied. "Something was a little odd when I woke up here when I know for sure I fell asleep in the conference room at Cobol. I do give you props for being convincing though."

Arthur and Ariadne sighed in unison and she quickly laced her fingers through his and turned to Brendan urgently.

"Come on, we need to go!"

Brendan nodded and followed Dom staying close to Ariadne.

"I'm sorry Brendan, but we knew that this virus could be potentially dangerous and we wanted to try to destroy it. I just hope we can." She whispered to him as the dashed through the hallway and entered into a large computer lab.

"Ari, I understand. Just stay safe. I can't control what my projections will do to you, and as you guys have said, Arthur was shot up there and I can't risk putting you in danger too."

"We altered the sedative. If we die this deep in the dream, we'll just wake up. We made sure Yusuf fixed that. There's no reason why we should end up in limbo because we get shot or killed in a dream." Arthur spoke up, his breaths becoming shorter.

Ariadne looked at him worriedly and frowned. "Arthur, stay with me. We just have to hack the computer and you we can go. Just don't leave me now. We need you."

Arthur nodded weakly and sat down at the computer Dom picked out. He began typing furiously as Dom, Ari, and Brendan stood by nervously. They glanced around to make sure no one was following them.

After ten minutes Arthur hacked into the computer. He was becoming more and more pale by the second and Ariadne was worried he wouldn't make it. When he suddenly slapped the desk and cursed she knew something was wrong.

"Arthur?" She asked quietly. He turned to her briefly and sent Dom a look. Dom's eyes widened and he nodded curtly.

"We have to go." Dom told them.

"What? Why? What's going on? Arthur?" Ariadne began panicking. Brendan clutched his head and Ariadne screamed. "Brendan!"

"Ari, we need to go now!" Arthur shouted pulling her towards him and tightening his grip on her arm as she struggled against him.

"We can't leave Brendan! Something's wrong!" Ariadne yelled.

Dom grabbed Ariadne too and both men were pulling the struggling Architect.

"NO! Brendan! We can't leave him!"

"Ari!" Arthur pulled her against him and turned her so she was looking at him. "There's nothing we can do. The virus is programmed to self destruct."

"What does that mean?" She asked, her voice quivering in anticipation of the bad news she was sure she was going to receive.

Arthur sighed and looked at Dom helplessly. Dom walked over to Ariadne and grabbed her shoulder.

"Ariadne, Brendan is going to kill himself once we wake up. Right now his mind is telling his body to wake up and his projections are going to go on a rampage. We need to get out of here fast." Dom explained.

"No. No, no no no!" She shouted, she began hitting Arthur's chest as tears began to fall. Arthur gently grabbed her wrists and pulled her into an embrace. She finally stopped hitting him and broke down crying.

"We have to go now!" Dom shouted as he heard some yelling from around the corner.

Arthur quickly picked up Ariadne and followed Dom. Arthur was weak, but he couldn't give up now, especially when all of them were in danger and Ariadne was hurting.

"We have to give ourselves a kick. We need to wake up before he does otherwise he might kill us in our sleep." Dom turned to Arthur, urgency dripping in his voice.

"What do you suggest we do?" Arthur asked, grunting as he shifted Ariadne in his arms.

"We're going to have to jump off the building, or out the window of the highest level."

Arthur nodded and they broke out into a sprint, searching for an elevator. Dom dodged a bullet as Arthur stumbled with Ariadne to move them out of shooting range. Dom motioned for Arthur to run over to him. Arthur glanced around and tucked Ariadne close to his body to shield her.

"Arthur, why don't we just let them shoot us?" Ariadne whispered as they hid in the elevator.

"They won't just shoot us, they'll shoot us and torture us. These projections are trained to torture. The virus programmed them that way. If we let them shoot us, they'll purposely miss hitting anything vital and we'll be suffering. The easiest way is for a kick." Arthur explained.

"But we have weapons." Ariadne mumbled.

Dom nodded. "Are you sure you want to go that way?"

Ariadne looked at Arthur briefly and closed her eyes. "Yes."

Arthur tensed, not wanting to have to see her get shot or shoot her himself. He didn't want her to try to do it herself. The first time is always the hardest and sometimes you don't always do it right.

"I'll do it." Dom spoke up, answering the silent debate Arthur was having with himself.

"Ok. I'll see you up there. Hopefully Brendan hasn't woken up yet." Arthur said as he closed his eyes and flinched when he heard the gunshot and felt Ariadne limp body in his arms. He heard another gunshot and everything went blank. His eyes fluttered open quickly and he sat up, looking for Ariadne. She was standing over Brendan frowning.

Arthur stood up and walked to her. Eames was watching them curiously.

"What happened?" He asked.

Arthur turned to Eames as Dom took out the IV and walked over to them.

"The virus was programmed to self destruct. We have to get out of here fast. If Brendan wakes up before us, he won't only kill himself, but he'll kill us too." Dom explained. Eames grunted in disbelief.

"Well that's something I haven't seen before."

"Come on, we'll discuss this later. Right now we need to get out of here. Eames, do you have a gun?"

Eames nodded at Dom and eyed the couple one last time before pulling it out and shooting both of them, Dom, and then himself.

All of them woke up on the plane. Eames rushed over to Arthur and Ariadne and his eyes went soft as he looked at Ariadne.

"The dreams are collapsing. He'll wake up soon. We have to keep moving. Once we wake up in the limo, we'll have to get rid of Brendan and get as far away from him as possible." Dom kept barking orders.

"Right." Eames turned around and looked for a pistol or something to wake them up with. Ariadne handed him her small handgun and Eames raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't ask." She smiled weakly. Arthur frowned, knowing she was putting on her brave face right now.

"Alright love, let's get a move on." Eames softly said and pulled the trigger.

* * *

**I feel like this wasn't my best chapters, but I wanted to get an update out...this is getting closer to the end. Perhaps three or four more chapters which includes the epilogue. Again, please review! I need feedback and it helps me become a better writer. Thanks for reading!**


	28. The End of the Job

**Well, it has been a long time! I'm so sorry about that! It has been a difficult month to say the least. I haven't had any motivation to write, I've been having writer's block, and my friend moved away. This past week has been especially hard because of that. But I really want to finish this story, especially because I have another one in mind as well as a few oneshots. With that said, this chapter is shorter than others, but I wanted to get this up. I'm not especially happy with it, but I hope you all enjoy it. This story is almost finished, just a few more chapters and an epilogue. So anyways...sorry for the long wait, and please review. **

**I only own the DVD...

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**

When Ariadne's eyes fluttered open Arthur was already up and removing the IV's from everyone's arms and quickly putting away the PASIV. Ariadne shot up in her seat and turned to look at Brendan. He was still asleep, but he was grunting and moving.

"Arthur!" She called out to him, her voice cracking. Arthur turned to look at her and followed her gaze.

"We need to get out of here now!" Arthur ordered. Dom and Eames were already exiting the limo and Yusuf was tugging Saito out shooting Ariadne and Arthur a nervous glance.

"We'll be right behind you." Arthur assured Yusuf. Saito just followed, his face confused.

"I'll explain everything to you once we're a safe distance away." Yusuf told Saito.

"You better." Saito mumbled, freeing his arm from Yusuf's grip and straightening out his suit as he stepped out of the limo and broke into a dash.

"Ari, we have to go now." Arthur's soft voice broke her from her thoughts. She nodded and kissed Brendan on the forehead.

"I'm sorry brother. I should have protected you." She whispered to him, letting a few tears fall slowly. She felt Arthur's large, calloused hand grasp her small, soft ones and looked at him sadly. She quickly followed Arthur, allowing sobs to escape her mouth.

Arthur squeezed her hand comfortingly and guided her out the limo and into the nearest alley.

"We're going to take a quick route through the alley and make our way to our room." Arthur informed her. Ariadne nodded and sniffled, glancing his way briefly before telling herself that she would be strong.

Straightening her posture, her pace quickened and Arthur looked at her, his eyebrows raised. She ignored his look and Arthur sighed, picking up the pace and leading her to the hotel. They quickly made their way to the room and Arthur closed the door softly, looking around to make sure they weren't followed first.

"Ari."

"Don't. I don't want to talk about it right now." Ariadne cut him off. "Just give me a minute."

Arthur nodded and walked to the window and carefully pulled the curtain to the side, looking down to the limo. He watched as an angry and disgruntled Brendan swung open the door, a gun in hand.

Brendan scowled and looked around, but with no sign of the team, he pointed the gun to his head and shot.

Ariadne's head snapped up and she practically ran to the window, almost tripping over her feet in her rush.

Arthur grabbed her and tried holding her away, not wanting to expose her to her brother's dead body. But she struggled against him and broke free, looking down at the bloody, motionless body of Brendan. A loud sob echoed in the room and Arthur gently pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing slow circles on her back.

"I'm so sorry Ari." He whispered into her hair. "I wish there was something we could have done."

Her sobs become louder and louder, her body shaking as he held her. Carefully, Arthur maneuvered them to the bed and laid down, holding her close.

It wasn't until half an hour later that her sobs and shaking subsided. Arthur pulled back gently and checked to see if she was asleep. Her big brown eyes were puffy and red and he frowned.

"Get some sleep." Arthur told her softly. She just looked up at him, sadness written all over her face. "Please Ari."

"Okay." She whispered quietly. Arthur kissed her and helped her get under the covers. Once she was wrapped warmly and protectively in the blankets, Arthur watched as her eyes drooped and she fell asleep.

He stood up and quietly left the room, wanting to leave Ariadne in peace and check on the rest of the team.

He sighed and rubbed his face as he made his way to Dom's room. He could hear noises from inside the room and didn't bother to knock. The four of them turned quickly with their guns drawn and pointed at the intruder. Once they saw that it was Arthur, they put their guns away and Dom walked to him.

"What happened? Where's Ariadne?" Dom asked. Arthur frowned and closed the door.

"She's asleep in the room. Brendan shot himself."

"Wow, I didn't believe you when you said that the virus was programmed to self destruct." Eames replied in shock.

"How's Ariadne?" Yusuf asked.

"She's not doing to well. She saw his body on the ground, I tried to keep her away, but she still managed to see." Arthur sighed and sat down on the bed, suddenly extremely tired and wary.

"What are we going to do now?" Eames asked.

"Well since Brendan is dead, Cobol doesn't have that great of a lead on us. We could get the price on our heads erased, but we'd have to work hard and carefully." Dom answered.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Eames raised an eyebrow and glanced at Arthur, who wasn't paying attention.

"We'll figure that out tomorrow. Right now we all should get some rest." Dom told everyone. Eames and Yusuf nodded while Saito quickly said goodbye and rushed out of the room. Dom turned to Arthur and frowned.

"Arthur, go get some rest. Keep Ariadne company. She's going to need you now." Dom gently told Arthur, helping his friend to his feet and watching sadly as Arthur left the room.

"This is going to be bloody difficult Dom." Eames said after Arthur left the room.

"He's right, Cobol isn't just going to give in that easily." Yusuf reasoned.

"You're right, but as long as we have the right people do the right things, we can manage." Dom told them. "Now I'm going to get my kids and go to bed, I suggest you do the same."

Eames and Yusuf nodded, said goodbye, and left the room, leaving Dom in silence. He heard a knock at the door and smiled as Saito brought his kids in.

"Thanks Saito."

"Sure thing Mr. Cobb." Saito replied. He stood there in silence until Dom looked up at him again, a confused look crossing his face.

"Is there something else?" Dom asked.

"I can handle your Cobol business." Saito simply replied.

"What? How?"

"That is for me to know. Just stay here a little longer and once everything is safe, I'll let you know and you can leave." Saito said as he exited the room.

Dom smiled and looked at his children that were holding a book up to him. He laughed and grabbed the book from them.

"Come on kids, I'll read this to you and then we can do something together."

Arthur walked into his and Ariadne's room. She was still sleeping, but her breathing was hitched. He rushed to the bed and cradled her as she began whimpering.

"Ariadne! Ari! Wake up!" He shook her gently. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at Arthur before jumping out of bed and rushing to the bathroom. He heard her throw something before gagging and throwing up. He sighed and followed her into the bathroom. He found her on the ground next to the toilet crying.

"I can't believe he's gone." She told him.

"I know." He replied.

"I barely got him back and I had to lose him again."

"I know." He replied again.

"Arthur, tell me everything will be okay." She looked at him, her eyes sad.

"Ariadne, everything will be okay." He whispered to her and cradled her in his arms.

She nodded and closed her eyes. Arthur picked her up, to her surprise, and carried her to bed. They got under the covers and Ariadne turned to Arthur, snuggling up to him and burying her face into his chest. Arthur put his arms around her protectively and they both drifted off into sleep.

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**Well there you have it. It was a sadder chapter, poor Ari. But don't worry, things won't be so bad for her...and Arthur. I hope you don't find her too out of character, but I felt that she did just lose her brother, she has a right to be sad and OOC. Anyways, review and I'll try to update soon!**


	29. The End of Things

**Alright, here's the next chapter. I'm glad all of you liked the last chapter, and because the last one was quite sad, I thought I'd give you all a fluffy chapter. So enjoy! Please review! **

**I don't own Inception...end of story.

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Arthur woke up to find that Ariadne wasn't there. He sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position, scanning the room for her. He heard a soft noise come from the bathroom and saw the stream of light shining from underneath the door. Throwing off the covers he quietly made his way to the bathroom and knocked softly, his knuckles tapping the door three times.

He heard something hit the ground with a small tink.

"Come in." Ariadne's quivering voice was barely audible. Arthur turned the doorknob and entered the bathroom, softly closing the door behind him.

Ariadne was on the floor, clutching her totem tightly. She didn't look at Arthur as he stepped in front of her, instead she kept an intent gaze on her totem. Arthur knelt in front of her, his knees cracking as he did so. Finally she looked up, her eyes watery and red.

"I couldn't fall back asleep." She answered Arthur's question before he even asked. "Once I woke up I kept picturing his dead body on the ground over and over again."

"Ari…" Arthur pulled her into a hug and she rested her head on his chest. He rocked her back and forth, rubbing her back in comfort. She mumbled something into his chest but didn't pull back. Instead she buried her face deeper into his chest and he just let her be. He rested his chin on the top of her head and held her until she was ready to talk.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ariadne pulled back and looked into Arthur's eyes. He saw the pain that she was feeling in her big brown eyes.

"Did they clean up the body?" She asked quickly, her eyes darting from his for a moment.

"Yes." He replied.

"Did you look?"

"No." He couldn't lie to her, not now.

"Then how do you know that they did?" She asked.

"They usually clean those kinds of things up right away Ari. I don't think they'd just leave his body like that."

"How will they know who will receive the body. I doubt that he will have a wallet on him. A wallet with his ACTUAL identification." Ariadne began rambling.

"We can head to the police station and let them know that you're his sister. Saito has enough pull that we could get his body." Arthur reasoned.

"I don't know…" Ariadne trailed off, deep in thought.

"Ari, I know you want this. Besides, I think Brendan deserves a proper burial." Arthur pressed. Ariadne bit her lip and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes she nodded at him and smiled.

"Thanks Arthur." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly, afterwards she let her forehead rest against his and sighed in approval.

"What do you say we head back to bed? We're going to have to meet with everyone else in the morning and deal with everything. So we better rest up." Arthur told her, standing up and holding his hand out for her.

She nodded and grabbed his hand, he pulled her up swiftly and she stumbled, grabbing her head.

"You ok?" Arthur asked, his eyebrows knitted together in worry.

"I'm just feeling a little lightheaded is all. Come on." Ariadne shrugged and pulled Arthur out of the bathroom. She tugged him onto the bed and they fell on it gently.

She crawled to her side of the bed and snuggled under the covers. Arthur grinned and followed her, carefully maneuvering his way around her, tucking the covers around her and sliding underneath them with her.

"I love you Arthur. So much." Ariadne yawned and closed her eyes. She barely heard Arthur's response before she fell asleep.

"I love you too Ari. More than anything." He whispered to her and pulled her close, not wanting to let anything harm her again.

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Ariadne woke up before Arthur, the light shining through the curtains waking her arms. She wrinkled her nose and pulled the covers over her head, causing Arthur to grunt. She stifled a giggle and turned to peek at Arthur from underneath the covers. Arthur's hair was messed up and his mouth was slightly open.

Ariadne loved this about mornings and waking up before him. She was at liberty to observe him in his most vulnerable state and only she was able to see him like this.

He stirred slightly and Ariadne couldn't help herself, she brought her hand up to his hair and ran her fingers through it. Arthur's eyes snapped open and he turned to her, a cheesy grin forming on his face.

"Good morning." Arthur whispered.

"Morning." Ariadne replied kissing the tip of his nose.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked, sitting up.

"Not too long, maybe five minutes." Ariadne answered, also pushing herself up so she could sit up.

There was a knock on the door and Ariadne frowned, not wanting to be bothered or have their moment interrupted. Arthur gave her a sympathetic smile, not wanting to be interrupted just as much as Ariadne.

He quickly put on a T-shirt and pulled on some sweatpants and opened the door to find a smirking Eames leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, well, did the lovebirds JUST wake up?" Eames teased. Arthur scowled and glared at Eames expectantly.

"You came here just to say that? If that's all, I'd like to spend some time with my wife." Arthur crossed his arms and waited for Eames to give a reason for his intrusion.

"Actually love, I came here to let you know that Dom wants to meet in an hour. He has some news apparently. Saito is going to tell us something. Maybe we'll get paid." Eames rubbed his hands together greedily.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Ok, well we'll see you in an hour."

Eames opened his mouth to say something, but Arthur already closed the door and locked it.

"Newlyweds." He mumbled as he walked off.

Arthur turned around to find Ariadne smirking at him. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed and he swiftly made his way to her.

He kissed her chastely, but she pushed him back.

"Arthur, you heard Eames, we have to meet with Dom in an hour. I still have to shower and get ready, so do you." She stood up and Arthur followed her.

"Well we can kill two birds with one stone then." Arthur playfully told her, turning on the shower and letting the water warm up. Ariadne giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Alright, but we're not spending more than 10 minutes in the shower!" Ariadne warned, pointing her finger at him.

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Half an hour later they stepped out of the shower. Ariadne was glaring at Arthur playfully before grabbing a towel and drying off. She didn't have time to blow dry her hair, but it was thin enough that it would dry within ten minutes.

Arthur grinned as he watched her frantically get ready. Arthur grabbed two towels, wrapping one around his waist and the other he used to dry off his hair. Ariadne sat on the bed while Arthur got ready, she was feeling lightheaded again and tired, so she allowed herself to lie down and rest while she waited.

Arthur walked out of the bathroom ten minutes later looking perfect as always. He noticed that Ariadne was laying down with her eyes closed. She looked slightly pale.

"Ari, are you alright?" Arthur asked, tightening his tie as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm still feeling tired I guess." Ariadne told him, sitting up.

Arthur nodded, not completely believing her. "Are you ready?"

"Um, yeah…go ahead and head over to Dom's room and I'll be right there." Ariadne mumbled. Arthur frowned and nodded curtly, glancing back at her before closing the door.

Ariadne let out a breath she was holding and rubbed her head. She stood up slowly and made her way to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned when she saw her pasty white face. Not wanting to worry the others, she wet her face, drank some water, and sat down for a few minutes before heading over to Dom's room. Thankfully the few minutes she spent collecting herself were enough for her to look better.

She opened Dom's door quietly and slipped in, trying not to interrupt whatever was going on. Arthur turned when he heard the door open and watched her carefully. She smiled at him and moved to sit next to him. She held out her hand to him and he took it, lacing their fingers together.

"Nice of you to join us princess." Eames cheekily told her. She ignored him and turned to Dom.

"What'd I miss?"

"Saito should be here any moment to inform us. He just told me to gather everyone and meet here." Dom shrugged, not knowing what was going to happen, but hoping that Saito pulled through for them.

"Ah, I see everyone is accounted for." Saito's thick accented voice broke everyone's thoughts.

"Mr. Saito." Dom greeted.

"Well I guess getting straight to the point is the best." Saito muttered. "I have worked with Cobol, they have agreed to drop all charges and any attempt at your lives won't be happening again. If they break this promise, my men will take care of them." Saito informed the group.

Ariadne's jaw dropped, but she quickly shut her mouth knowing that she shouldn't be surprised with this.

"Thank you Saito." Dom stood up and shook his hand, "We appreciate it."

"You're a bloody good tourist." Eames winked at him. Saito rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Mr. Saito, Ariadne and I have a request for you." Arthur spoke up. All eyes turned to him, but he ignored them.

"Well what is it?"

"Ariadne would like to retrieve the body of Brendan. We would like to give him the proper burial, and we were hoping you could get it for us." Arthur explained, squeezing Ariadne's hand in reassurance when he felt her tense.

"Alright." Saito nodded, offering Ariadne a sad smile. "Where would you like me to have the body sent?"

"Home." Ariadne spoke up, not realizing that her answer was extremely vague.

"And where is home?" Saito asked, completely patient with her.

"Home is…well…" Ariadne struggled with her words, she turned to Arthur panicked.

"Paris." Arthur spoke for her. Ariadne grinned and turned to Saito.

"Yes, Paris."

"Okay. Why don't you just take my jet and I'll send the body with you guys?"

"That would be great, thank you Saito." Arthur stood up and bowed politely.

"Are all of you headed to Paris?" Saito asked.

Dom looked around at everyone and they all nodded. "We do have a funeral to attend." Dom replied and smiled at Ariadne.

"My jet will be ready shortly. Gather your things and I will have you rung so you can meet me in the lobby. Take care." Saito told them as he walked towards the door.

"Thank you Dom." Ariadne quietly said.

"Anytime." Dom winked at her.

"Let's get packing!" Eames loudly exclaimed, clapping his hands.

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**So what did you think? Leave a review! :D Things are coming to a close...I'm excited to finish up this story! Thank you to all you faithful readers and those of you who review each chapter, it really means a lot! And thank you to all you new readers, I'm so excited to see that I get story alerts, favorite story, and author alerts. It really means a lot to me that you all enjoy my writing.**


	30. The Flight Part 1

**Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter. It's a little shorter, but I wanted to cut this chapter into two parts. So here it is! Hope you all enjoy, there are about 3 more chapters until this story comes to an end! I want to thank all of you who have stuck to this story and who have reviewed for every chapter. It really means a lot to me. I can't wait to start more stories and oneshots, and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! So with that said, read and review!**

**Don't own it...sadly.

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Everyone managed to pack everything and meet up in Dom's room within an hour. Yusuf, Dom and the kids, Arthur, and Ariadne were waiting for Eames impatiently. The door swung open and hit the wall with a thud.

All six heads in the room snapped up to look at Eames who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Alright loves, ready to head home finally?" Eames winked at the group and picked up his bag motioning with his head for them to follow him down to the lobby.

Arthur shook his head amused. As much as he and Eames bickered and Eames annoyed him beyond measure, Arthur still cared for that strange man. Arthur turned to Ariadne and smiled, lacing his fingers with hers and picking up their bags with his free hand.

"Come on kids." Dom grinned and held James' hand while Philippa picked up James and her small backpacks. Dom smiled at her and picked up his bag. Yusuf followed them happily. He closed the door without looking back.

Saito was waiting for them in the lobby. He turned around as he heard laughter.

"It seems that you are late." Saito raised his eyebrow and turned to Eames.

"Hey! Why do you look at me?" Eames asked defensively, raising his hands.

"Because we all know you take as long as a teenage girl to get ready." Arthur teased. Eames turned and glared at the Point Man who had an innocent expression on his face. Ariadne giggled and patted Eames on the arm.

"Sorry, but he's right." Ariadne shrugged when she heard Arthur snicker.

Dom chuckled and shook his head at the childishness they were all showing.

"Come on children…" Dom rolled his eyes and looked pointedly at Arthur and Eames.

"Daddy we're right here." James looked at Dom confused.

"Not you guys. Those children over there. You're uncles Arthur and Eames are acting like little kids." Dom explained to James pointing at the bickering men.

James' brow furrowed. "But they aren't little kids."

"James, daddy is saying that they are pretending to be like little kids." Philippa helped explain.

"Oh!" James exclaimed. "Uncle Arthur why are you pretending to be a little kid?" James tilted his head to the side as he asked Arthur the question.

Ariadne covered her mouth, silencing her laugh and Arthur just looked at James in shock.

"What? I'm not. Who told you I was?" Arthur asked, stuttering.

"Daddy." James replied gleefully, grinning up at Arthur. Arthur frowned and turned to look at Dom who was smiling mischievously. Arthur glared at him before turning back to James who was tugging at his pants.

"Can I sit with you and Aunt Ari on the plane?" James asked, his eyes glazed with uncertainty.

"Of course big guy. Just as long as your dad says it's ok." Arthur replied, ruffling James' hair. James squealed and ran to Dom.

"Daddy! Can I sit with Uncle Arthur and Aunt Ari? He said I could!" James asked, pouting at Dom.

"Alright, but if Uncle Arthur says to come to me, you have to listen to him ok? I want you to behave for them."

"I will!" James exclaimed and ran to Ariadne and jumped into her arms. Ariadne, caught off guard and still not feeling well, stumbled back loosing her balance. Arthur, letting his reflexes take over, caught Ariadne before she fell back. James frowned, his lip quivering.

"Aunt Ari, I'm sorry." He whispered.

"It's ok James, you just caught me off guard is all." Ariadne assured him. James nodded and squirmed, wanting to be put down. Ariadne gently set him on the ground and he ran to Dom.

"Ariadne, are you sure you're ok? You don't look too well and you haven't been feeling well either." Arthur asked, lowering his head so he could look her in the eye.

She frowned for a split second before nodding. "I'm fine."

"Fine? Ari, tell me the truth. Is it Brendan?" Arthur pressed. Ariadne bit her lip and looked down.

"Partially." She sighed.

"Partially because of Brendan?" Arthur asked, trying to clear things up.

"Yes."

"What's the other part?" Arthur asked, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

"I don't know…well maybe I do, but…I…I'm not sure yet." Ariadne whispered.

"Ari, please tell me what's going on. You're worrying me." Arthur whispered gently.

Ariadne looked into his eyes and sighed, she was about to open her mouth to tell him when Eames shouted.

"Alright everyone let's go!" Eames was clapping his hands and tapping his foot, ushering everyone into the limo.

"We'll talk later." Arthur told Ariadne and she nodded.

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The team arrived at the airport and quickly piled out of the crowded limo. Arthur was scowling and Eames had a smug look on his face.

"Eames, I swear, if you don't leave me alone during the flight you're going to wake up very confused…under water!" Arthur threatened.

Eames laughed and slapped Arthur on the shoulder. "Whatever you say darling."

"Eames, stop influencing my children to misbehave." Dom warned as he walked past him with James and Philippa looking up at Eames with wide, admiring eyes.

"But Dominic, it's so fun to teach them to pester Arthur here." Eames turned to Arthur and pinched his cheek. Arthur smacked Eames hand and quickly put Eames into a headlock.

"Arthur! Eames! Cut it out!" Dom and Ariadne shouted simultaneously. Arthur glared at them and released Eames from his hold. Eames rubbed his neck and quickly straightened up.

"This will be a lovely flight." Eames smiled and grabbed his bag, boarding the private jet.

Dom walked over to Arthur and Ariadne. "We all agreed that you two should have the bedroom."

"What? No, we couldn't do that. James and Philippa should take it." Arthur said.

"No, no. We insist." Dom held his hands up and glanced at Ariadne. He pulled Arthur to the side. "Besides, Ariadne doesn't look to well and I think it would be good for her to get some rest. Be with her. James will understand."

Arthur turned to look at Ariadne quickly and frowned. "Thanks Dom." Dom nodded and guided his kids into the jet.

"Come on." Arthur held out his hand for Ariadne and she took it. They quickly boarded the jet and Arthur led her into the bedroom.

"Stay here, I'll be right back. Lay down and get some rest ok?" Arthur told her, kissing her forehead before exiting the small bedroom and closing the door.

Yusuf was sitting down where a small table was placed. He looked up as Arthur sat down across from him.

"You alright?" Yusuf asked Arthur. Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.

"You don't think Ariadne will feel any effects from the dream do you? The virus can't be transferred from person to person right?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"If she does feel any kind of effect it would be emotional things. Depression is one to look out for. She seems fine emotionally though." Yusuf replied.

"What about sickness. She hasn't been feeling well and she doesn't look too good either."

"The virus isn't contagious if that's what you're asking. However I'd keep an eye on her. If she isn't feeling well it could be a reaction to the sedative, but I highly doubt that…" Yusuf trailed off. Arthur nodded and stood up.

"Thank you Yusuf."

Yusuf nodded and his eyes sparkled with a knowing look as he watched Arthur retreat to the bedroom.

"I just hope this one works out." Yusuf mumbled.

"What?" Eames asked, sitting down.

"I didn't say anything." Yusuf quickly replied, hoping to cover up what he said.

"Oh yes you did. You hope that what works out?" Eames asked, following Yusuf's gaze. "You don't think Arthur and Ariadne won't make it now that we're going back to reality?"

"No, not that. They'll be fine there…" Yusuf hesitated, but Eames eyes widened in realization.

"Well bloody hell! They didn't tell us!" Eames stood up to go knock on the door but Yusuf grabbed his arm and pulled him down.

"I don't think they know yet. But all the signs are there. Ariadne may suspect it, but if she does she has been tight lipped about it." Yusuf explained.

"Well they better find out soon." Eames smiled. "I want to know if I get to be a godfather."

"I don't know if they will pick you Eames. I'm pretty sure Dom is their first pick."

"Yeah yeah."

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**Hmmm...haha review please! :D **


	31. The Flight Part 2

**Alright, here's part 2! Yay! Be excited! haha...thank you all for reading and reviewing. It was so nice to wake up to so many reviews. It really does mean so much to me and I can't tell you that enough. Just one more chapter and the epilogue left! Whew! It's been a long ride, and I'm so glad that you guys have stuck with me. :) With that said, don't be sad that this story is coming to an end, because I will be writing more! :D And I have a oneshot that I do want to get written and posted soon! Anywho, I have said too much already. Read and Review!**

**I want to own Inception...anyone have a PASIV I could borrow so I could perform inception on Christopher Nolan to give me Inception? No? I thought so...oh well...

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Dom heard his name and looked around. He stood up, leaving James and Philippa playing with their toys at the small couch. He walked over to where the two men were whispering.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Dom asked curiously. He noticed Eames' frustrated expression and Yusuf's amused look that he was giving Eames.

"Eames here is a little jealous right now." Yusuf teased.

"Jealous of what?" Cobb asked, raising his eyebrow and turning to a grumbling Eames.

"Well he's just upset that you're going to be first pick for godfather." Yusuf explained when Eames didn't.

"What?" Dom quickly turned to look at the door to the bedroom where Arthur and Ariadne were resting in. "They didn't tell me anything."

"I don't think they know yet. Or at least Arthur doesn't. I have my suspicions that Ariadne knows though. She just isn't sure how to bring it up." Yusuf replied.

"Or maybe she's scared." Dom whispered. Eames and Yusuf nodded sadly, recalling what had happened last time.

"I think everything will be fine, and when they do tell us, we have to act surprised." Yusuf said.

"I for one will be waiting for them to spill the beans." Eames stretched his arms and brought his hands behind his head. Dom just shook his head, stealing another glance at the door.

* * *

When Arthur entered the room Ariadne was already asleep. He sighed and quickly undid his tie and took it off, he then proceeded to unbutton his vest, take it off, unbutton his shirt, take it off, and slip off his shoes before sliding into bed with her.

Ariadne stirred a little bit, opening her eyes when she felt the bed shift under her. Arthur smiled softly at her and pulled her to him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered into her hair.

"It's ok." She mumbled before closing her eyes again and snuggling into his chest. Arthur could sense when she fell asleep again, her breathing slowed and she relaxed more in his arms.

Arthur allowed his eyes to close, just to rest them, he reasoned and he soon fell asleep too.

There was a soft puff on Arthur's nose and he felt small hands trying to move his arms away gently. Arthur's eyes snapped open to find Ariadne staring into his eyes sheepishly.

"Sorry, I couldn't stay still for much longer and wanted to move around. I didn't want to try to wake you, but I forgot what a light sleeper you are." Ariadne quietly said.

Arthur yawned and smiled at her. He released her from his grip and sat up, watching her carefully. Ariadne got up and stretched, walking around the room slowly. She was glad to be moving around and stretching her stiff limbs.

"How are you feeling?" He asked suddenly. Ariadne turned to look at him, trying to keep a straight face. She opened her mouth to reply before Arthur cut her off.

"The truth Ari." Arthur sternly told her, raising his eyebrow. She slumped her shoulders and sat next to him on the bed.

"I'm alright." She answered simply.

"What's going on? You can talk to me Ari." Arthur scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"It's…complicated." Ariadne was avoiding the subject and Arthur could tell. He was getting frustrated, but he didn't want to let his frustrations show.

"Ari, please." He whispered, kissing her temple.

"I…Arthur, I think I'm pregnant." Ariadne told him, allowing her body to relax completely in his arms. Arthur held her, his body tense with shock.

"H-how long have you known?" Arthur asked, clearing his throat after stuttering and hearing it crack slightly.

"I don't know for sure Arthur, I just think I am. All the signs are there. I haven't been feeling great for a few days, but since the whole Brendan job I had been feeling pretty awful. I didn't want to say anything because I knew you'd make me sit it out." Ariadne told him.

Arthur frowned, she was right. He wouldn't have let her go in the dream with them, but that is in the past.

"Well I guess we better start planning for a baby then." Arthur smiled as he pulled away from her, looking into her eyes. He could see the fear and uncertainty in them, but she smiled, happy that he was taking the news well.

"I'm scared." She admitted after a few minutes of silence.

"I know, but everything will be alright." Arthur tried to assure her. Of course he couldn't promise anything, they both knew what had happened a few months ago.

"I think we should tell the others now. That way we can get it over with and make sure Brendan has our full attention at the funeral. I'd hate for the baby to overshadow him." Ariadne stood up. Arthur nodded.

"Although, I think they already suspect that you're pregnant Ari. Yusuf was acting strange when I was asking him questions, so I think he suspects. And you know how Eames is, he'll extract information within minutes if he really wants to know. So I'm sure they all already suspect something." Arthur chuckled, but quickly turned serious.

"As for Brendan, I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing anything with the baby. Ari, I wish I could have known him before all of this. I'm sure he really was great." Arthur stood up and hugged Ariadne. She nodded and sniffled.

"Thank you Arthur." She mumbled.

"For what?" He asked, releasing her and lacing his fingers with hers.

"For being you. For knowing what to say." Ariadne smiled and squeezed his hand. "Let's go talk to the others, and when we get to Paris I want to set up an appointment right away, just to make sure."

Arthur nodded. "Alright, but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

Ariadne opened the door and Arthur trailed slightly behind her, their hands still connected.

"Well well, look who decided to finally join us." Eames loudly said and Yusuf and Dom turned around from where they were sitting to look at Arthur and Ariadne.

"Uncle Arthur!" James quickly ran to him and clung to Arthur's leg. Arthur stumbled back slightly, taken by surprise. Ariadne grinned and watched as James looked up at Arthur, a huge smile on his face.

"Uncle Arthur, are you going to play with us? We've been waiting for you forever!" James dramatically told him. Arthur laughed and nodded.

"Sure, just give your Aunt Ari and I a few minutes and we'll be right over there."

Philippa had made her way to Ariadne and watched James interact with Arthur.

"Aunt Ari, you're ok right?" Philippa asked worriedly. For an eight year old she really was perceptive.

"What makes you think I wasn't?" Ariadne asked. "Of course I'm fine Philippa."

"Because Uncle Arthur came out earlier and was asking Yusuf questions and he looked worried. I don't want to lose you like I lost my mommy." Philippa whispered, looking down and rubbing her feet together.

Ariadne frowned and bent down, letting go of Arthur's hand. "Philippa, look at me."

Philippa looked up at Ariadne, small tears streaming down her face. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just not feeling too great because that's what happens when you're going to have a baby." Ariadne explained. Philippa grinned widely and shrieked.

"A baby! Uncle Arthur you're going to be a daddy?" Philippa turned to Arthur and jumped into his arms. James, not wanting to be left out, reaching up for Arthur to pick him up. Arthur gathered both James in Philippa in his arms and smiled.

"Yes. Aunt Ari here is having a baby." Arthur turned to look at Ariadne, a look of adoration taking over his features.

"It's about time you told us!" Eames sighed dramatically, but grinned, patting Arthur on the back.

"Yusuf had his suspicions, so we figured you'd tell us when you were ready." Dom came up to Ariadne and hugged her gently.

"So much for acting surprised guys!" Yusuf cried out, shaking his head. He approached Arthur and Ariadne, hugging Ariadne and patting Arthur on the back.

"Congratulations." The three of them said, after the excitement calmed down a bit.

"Thanks guys." Ariadne shyly replied. She turned to Arthur, who hadn't stopped smiling since they came out.

"Uncle Arthur?" James asked, holding onto Arthur's neck for support.

"Yes James?"

"Will I be able to play with the baby?"

Dom smiled. "James, the baby will be too little to play with when it's first born, but when the baby gets older you will be able to." Dom explained to his son.

"Oh."

"Aunt Ari, I can help you with the baby. I'm a big girl." Philippa piped up.

Ariadne chuckled. "Thank you very much Philippa, I'm sure you'll be a great help."

Dom noticed that Arthur looked like his arms were getting tired from holding James and Philippa so he spoke up.

"Hey kids, why don't you go pick out a game to play and we'll be right there."

"Ok!" James and Philippa jumped down from Arthur's arms and ran to find a game.

"Are you feeling up to it?" Dom asked Ariadne, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. As long as we're sitting down though." Ariadne replied, leaning on Arthur for support. Arthur wrapped his arm around her waist and supported her weight.

"Do your kids know how to play poker?" Eames asked seriously. The four of them turned to Eames, a look of disbelief on their faces.

"Are you serious?" Arthur asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Eames looked at everyone, confused. He furrowed his brow. "It's an honest question. I don't see why all of you are freaking out about it."

"Eames, my kids do NOT know how to play poker, and I plan to keep it that way for a long time." Dom snapped.

"And don't you get any ideas about our kid." Ariadne threatened. Eames raised his hands in defeat.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, jeez!"

"Come on, they're waiting, and we still have at least another hour before our flight lands." Arthur motioned for them to follow him, his disgust for Eames still evident in his voice.

"Tough crowd." Eames muttered.

While everyone was walking to where James and Philippa were, Ariadne quickly pulled Dom aside.

"Dom, our offer still holds. We want you to be godfather." Ariadne quietly told him, not wanting Eames to hear.

"I would love to Ari. Thank you." Dom smiled, and patted her on the shoulder. She smiled back at him and joined Arthur, sitting on the couch.

"Alright, who's ready to play?" Arthur asked, looking at everyone before letting his gaze fall on Ariadne.

"Me!" James and Philippa exclaimed together, jumping in excitement. Arthur chuckled and looked at Dom, who winked at him. Arthur grinned and started setting up the game, ready for a distraction and some fun.

The team enjoyed playing a board game with the young children. Laughter was heard throughout the jet and it was nice to be able to relax a bit. Arthur and Ariadne stayed close to each other, and had Eames spoken up he would have said they were sickening. Not wanting to ruin the lovely moment everyone was having, he held his tongue.

In no time they had arrived in Paris, ready to take on the next couple of days.

* * *

**So what'd you think? I figured hey, they deserve something happy. Especially with everything they have been through. A lot of you did guess that she was pregnant...good job guys! :) thanks for reading, and until next time...review! You know that button is calling out to you...haha...**


	32. The Funeral and Goodbyes

**Alright! This is the last chapter...the next one will be the epilogue! woo! It's done! Hope you enjoy this chapter, I feel like it was rushed, but maybe you won't think so. Either way read and review! and keep your eyes out for the epilogue, which should be up in a few days. What would you like to see in the epilogue? Also, I'm going to be working on a couple oneshots before I start my next story. I think after writing this one and reading other fanfics as well as watching Inception over and over again, I have really begun to understand Arthur and Ariadne more. So I'm hoping my next story will be more true to the characters. Enough of my babbling. Read on!**

**I wish I owned Inception...

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**

The plane landed in Paris and everyone was more than ready to be in a house and relax. Arthur and Ariadne invited the others to Ariadne's apartment, which wasn't large, but it would be good enough for now.

Dom smiled in gratitude as he laid the sleeping James and Philippa on the couch.

"Thanks for letting us stay here." Eames whispered.

Ariadne smiled. "No problem. I'm sorry it's so small though."

"Don't worry about it love. This will do. And we promise not to be in your hair for too long. I'm sure all of us are anxious to get back home." Eames replied.

"I better go and start getting things settled for Brendan." Ariadne excused herself and Eames shot her a concerned look before turning to Arthur and giving him the same look. Arthur raised his brows and followed Eames gaze. He sighed and walked over to where she was, talking on the phone.

Ariadne was already busying herself with plans for Brendan's funeral and Arthur was getting worried, especially knowing that Eames was worried about her too.

"Ari, you really should just take it easy and relax." Arthur tried to convince her. She shook her head and turned to look at him.

"Arthur, we need to get this done as soon as possible. There's so much to do, thankfully I can afford the funeral and everything."

"Ariadne, listen to me. We don't need to plan anything fancy or huge. Something simple would work. Why don't you let me handle it?" Arthur offered and watched her cautiously, afraid that she would freak out.

Ariadne stared at him for a moment and nodded. "Okay. I'll go set up the extra room for Dom and the kids, and I guess Eames and Yusuf will have to sleep in the living room."

"They'll be fine." Arthur assured her and kissed her before taking the phone from her and making phone calls.

It didn't even take Arthur two hours to get everything planned and settled. He walked out of the bedroom and sat on the couch with Ariadne, joining in the conversation with the others.

"So who get's to be the godfather?" Eames asked, knowing the answer, but wanting to try to convince them to let him be the godfather.

"Well we had already promised Dom that he'd be godfather first." Ariadne replied quietly. Hoping not to hurt his feelings.

"There's always godmother." Arthur joked playfully. Eames shot him an annoyed look before thinking it over and grinning widely.

"Seriously? I can be godmother?" Eames was grinning so widely, even Dom and Yusuf were shocked.

"What? No, it was a joke." Arthur stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Oh please, oh please, oh please!" Eames begged playfully.

"Wait, are you serious?" Ariadne asked suspiciously, not sure if he was being serious or not.

"Oh I'm perfectly serious love, an Englishman never jokes about these things."

Ariadne turned to look at Arthur, who still hadn't recovered from the strange outburst. His mouth was hanging open and for once Ariadne saw the usually composed Point Man completely in shock.

"Well, er, I uh…I guess so?" Ariadne asked, fumbling for words. "It won't be weird or anything will it? Is it even legal?"

"I don't know if it is legal, it sounds wrong to me." Yusuf piped up, watching the exchange with amusement.

"You know, it is perfectly fine to have two godfathers. Do you plan on having any godmothers?" Dom finally spoke up, wanting to ease the awkwardness that both Arthur and Ariadne were feeling.

"Really?" Arthur and Ariadne asked in unison. Dom smirked and nodded.

"Well I was thinking that maybe we could ask a couple of my friends, they've always told me they wanted to be godmothers, and I think they'd be great." Ariadne answered and turned to Arthur, her eyes questioning.

"Ari, if that's what you want to do, it's fine." Arthur grinned at her and kissed her.

"Yes, I'll talk to them as soon as we find out for sure." Ariadne answered and turned to Eames.

"Eames, would you like to be godfather too?" Ariadne asked cheekily. Eames eyes sparkled and he nodded.

"With great pleasure."

"I'll be watching you Eames. No funny business. My kid will not be learning how to play poker. And you will not teach him or her to do anything without our permission." Arthur warned. Eames grin just got wider.

"I can't promise anything Arthur." Eames raised his hands in mock surrender, shrugging as he did so.

Arthur muttered something under his breath and turned to Ariadne. "The funeral is tomorrow afternoon. Is that good?"

"That soon?" Ariadne asked, not really ready to bury her brother, but knowing that she had to. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Alright, we should all get some rest, it's been a long day." Dom said, nodding towards his sleeping children and motioning at Yusuf, who was nodding off.

"Good idea, I could sleep for a week." Eames stretched and yawned.

"Here, we'll get you some blankets and find some pillows for you. Dom, you and the kids can have the guest room." Arthur told them, before standing up and following Ariadne to a closet.

Ariadne began pulling blankets, sheets, comforters, and pillows down from the shelves, handing them to Arthur.

"This should be enough." Ariadne said before closing the door and turning to Arthur, who wasn't even visible behind the pile of blankets. Ariadne giggled and reached for some of the blankets.

"Come on, it's time we all get to bed." Ariadne laughed as she gently pushed Arthur in the right direction.

"Why thank you Ariadne." Yusuf grabbed a few blankets and pillows from Arthur and settled down on the floor. Eames was just eyeing Arthur mischievously before pulling the blanket from the bottom of the stack Arthur was holding. Arthur, not expecting it, moved to prevent the rest of the blankets and pillows from falling and fell backwards, all of the blankets flying on top of him.

Eames broke into a loud laughter as he saw Arthur's head peek out from under a pillow and glare at him.

"Sorry love, but I couldn't resisit." Eames said innocently. Arthur scowled at him and threw the blankets at Arthur.

"Go to sleep Mr. Eames." Arthur growled, standing up and dusting off his clothes.

Ariadne just rolled her eyes at the two bickering men and waved, grabbing Arthur's hand and pulling him with her.

"Goodnight, boys." Ariadne called from the hallway.

"'Night Ariadne!" Yusuf and Eames called before turning out the lights.

Arthur was grumbling all the way to the bedroom. Ariadne giggled when they finally entered the room and closed the door.

"Arthur, calm down. He's just messing with you."

"I know, and I hate it." Arthur replied, irritation evident in his voice.

"Come on, I'm tired." Ariadne pulled him onto the bed.

"Aren't you going to change first?" Arthur asked, obviously taking discomfort in the fact that he was still in his suit.

"Uh uh, too tired to change." Ariadne whined.

"Come on Ari, you're not going to be very comfortable in your jeans. Let's change and you can sleep."

"Mmmm…sleepy." Ariadne mumbled.

Arthur rolled his eyes and gently tugged off her jeans.

"Arthur!" Ariadne hissed playfully.

"Ariadne!" Arthur mimicked playfully.

"Someone could walk in!" Ariadne protested, but she really didn't care.

"Yeah, and my hair will fall out." Arthur retorted.

Ariadne laughed at that and finally gave in. "Fine I'll change." She got up and walked to her drawer, pulling out a pair of pajama bottoms and a thin t-shirt.

By the time Ariadne finished changing, Arthur was already in bed waiting for her.

"Wait, how did you? You know what never mind, you're you…" Ariadne shook her head in disbelief and crawled into bed next to him. She pulled the covers over them and cuddled next to Arthur.

"Thank you Arthur. For everything." Ariadne muttered before falling asleep.

Arthur kissed her temple and closed his eyes. "I love you Ari."

* * *

Surprisingly everyone was up and about by ten. It was a busy morning, getting dressed, eating, and getting everyone to the church for the funeral. Ariadne was fiddling with her scarf.

Arthur, uneasy with Ariadne's silence, gently brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. Ariadne quickly turned to look at Arthur and smiled. She squeezed his hand before lacing her fingers with his.

The whole ride was quiet. No one really knew what to say, and they decided silence would be better. The only noise was the occasional question or giggle from James and Philippa.

Ariadne was the first to step into the church, uneasy and saddened by the fact that she didn't have any family left. Arthur followed her slowly, allowing her to have a moment alone. When she felt Arthur's arms wrap around her waist she allowed the tears to fall.

She turned around and clung to Arthur, sobbing quietly. Arthur rubbed her back comfortingly while Eames, Dom and the kids, and Yusuf took their seats up front. Ariadne finally calmed down and pulled away from Arthur.

"Ok, let's get this started." Ariadne said, wiping away a few stray tears and sniffling. Arthur nodded sympathetically and followed her to the pews where they took their seats next to everyone else.

The funeral was lovely despite the fact that it was a funeral. Everything went smoothly and when it was time to bury Brendan, Ariadne had composed herself. She excused herself from the rest of the group and walked up to the coffin, allowing herself some time alone.

"Brendan, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you, I could have prevented this. Just know that I love you, so much, and I wish you could be here to see your niece or nephew. I'll be sure to tell them all about you. Goodbye Brendan." Ariadne whispered and placed the first flower on the coffin.

The rest of the group followed suit and came to stand next to Ariadne.

"Are you ok darling?" Eames asked Ariadne, giving her a hug. Ariadne nodded and smiled sadly.

"I'm fine. Thanks Eames."

Dom and Yusuf gave Ariadne their condolences. Ariadne smiled in gratitude. James ran to Arthur and clung to his leg, not budging when Dom tried to pry him off. Dom just sighed and left him there. Philippa on the other hand, had a vague understanding of what was going on and she hugged Ariadne tightly.

"Aunt Ari, are you ok?" She asked, her tiny voice quivering.

"I'm fine Philippa. Thank you."

Philippa smiled and wrapped her arms around Ariadne's neck and hugged her. Ariadne carried Philippa to the car as Arthur and Dom watched her nervously.

Ariadne sensed their concerned glances and once she put Philippa in the car she turned to Arthur.

"Arthur, I'm pregnant, not dying. Don't worry about me." Ariadne snapped. She rubbed the bridge of her nose before sighing. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I know." Arthur replied in understanding. "I just want to make sure you're safe. Did you schedule an appointment?"

"Yes. Tomorrow at 3."

Arthur smiled at her and slid into the car, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"We have to leave tonight." Dom said. Arthur and Ariadne frowned.

"So soon?" Ariadne asked.

Dom nodded and looked at James and Philippa who looked sad.

"We'll be leaving tonight too, but let us know how the appointment goes." Eames replied, a hint if excitement in his voice.

"We will." Ariadne nodded vigorously.

"Sounds great love." Eames smiled

* * *

"So then this is goodbye?" Ariadne asked as they helped everyone pack their (few) things into the taxi.

"Afraid so. Don't worry, once things settle down, we'll be back to visit you two. Hopefully by then you'll have a bigger place." Eames teased.

"You're welcome any time. All of you are." Ariadne replied.

"We'll take you up on that offer." Dom smiled and hugged her and Arthur. James and Philippa didn't want to say goodbye, but they clung onto both Arthur and Ariadne, tears streaming down their faces.

"Bye Uncle Arthur." James sobbed. Arthur rubbed his back.

"This isn't goodbye James, this is see you later. You're going to come visit and we'll visit you." Arthur promised.

"You promise?" James asked, eyeing Arthur suspiciously.

"I promise." Arthur nodded.

"Ok." James turned around and held his arms out for Dom. Dom took his son from Arthur and turned to Ariadne, who was hugging Philippa.

"Auntie Ari, you guys better come visit soon!" Philippa looked at her sternly.

"We'll try to go visit as soon as we can. I promise." Ariadne quickly added.

"Good. I'll miss you." Philippa let go of Ariadne and grabbed her father's hand.

"We'll miss you too." Ariadne and Arthur replied.

"Bye everyone, we'll let you know about the news as soon as we can." Arthur said and Ariadne nodded.

"Be safe. If you need anything or anything looks suspicious, feel free to call any of us." Dom gave Arthur a look and Arthur nodded.

"Same to you." Arthur shot back. Dom nodded in gratitude.

"All right, enough of this sob fest, we better go or we'll miss all our flights." Eames finally ushered everyone into the taxi.

"Bye!" Arthur and Ariadne waved and waited until they were out of sight. It was a weird feeling, having everyone gone.

"So this is the first day of the rest of our lives." Ariadne finally spoke up.

"And it will be quite the adventure." Arthur smiled and placed his hand on her stomach.

Ariadne grinned and covered his hand with hers.

"Yes it will."

* * *

**There you have it! The last chapter! What did you think? Again, the epilogue should be up in a few days, what would you like to see in it? Review please, let this story go out with a bang! I feed off of your reviews! They help me become a better writer. **


	33. The Epilogue

**Whew! This is a long epilogue, but once I started writing it, things just kept flowing. So this is it. The last chapter of the story. Let me know what you think! I really enjoyed this one and am super happy with it. Thank you all for reading and please leave a review! :D**

**I don't own Inception, just the plot of this story.

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**

Arthur and Ariadne were anxious when they went to the doctor. Ariadne was more anxious and nervous than Arthur. She really didn't want anything to go wrong this time.

Her fears were soon forgotten when the doctor confirmed that she was in fact pregnant. Even though there was still a tiny voice in the back of her mind telling her anything could happen, just knowing that there was a life inside her now made her forget all about that stupid nagging voice.

Arthur grinned widely and pulled her into a hug. Arthur was nervous, but he managed to keep a straight face. It was something he had learned to do over the many years working as a Point Man.

"We have to call everyone and tell them the news!" Ariadne eagerly looked up at Arthur. Arthur chuckled.

"Wait until we get home ok? I know you're excited." Arthur told her. She sighed, pretending to be annoyed, but she smiled at him. This really was big news.

When they told everyone the news they practically shouted with excitement. It was a close call between Eames and Philippa at being the loudest when they found out the news.

Arthur couldn't help but laugh when he heard how loud Eames got. His squeal sounded almost exactly like Philippa's. Arthur swore he'd never let Eames live it down.

* * *

Dom was visiting Miles in Paris with the kids when he got the call. His phone kept ringing as he quickly checked his pockets for his phone. Not bothering to look at the caller ID he answered.

"This is Cobb." Dom replied, glancing at James, Philippa, and Miles who were all throwing a curious look his way.

"Dom." Arthur's strained voice came from the other end.

"Arthur? Is everything alright?" Dom asked immediately concerned. Everyone else suddenly became more alert and waited for any news.

"What? Oh yes, fine. Everything's fine. Ariadne is in labor." Arthur sounded nervous and scared for the first time in his life.

"Congratulations Arthur. But if she's in labor there has to be a reason you're calling. Shouldn't your attention be on her?" Dom asked.

"Arthur!" Dom heard Ariadne's pained voice in the background.

"Hold on Ari!" Arthur called to her. It sounded like he was moving around. "Are you in Paris? We need a ride." Arthur asked, suddenly sounding tired.

"Yes, I'm five minutes away. I'll be right there." Dom answered, hanging up the phone.

"What's going on daddy?" Philippa asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"Aunt Ari is having her baby. I'm going to take her and Uncle Arthur to the hospital." Dom told her hurriedly.

"Miles, could you watch them? I'll give you a call when you can bring them to visit."

"Of course, of course. Give my love to Ariadne and Arthur for me." Miles responded, taking James and Philippa's hand. "Come on kids, let's go get ice cream."

"But I want to see Aunt Ari and the baby!" James whined.

"It's going to be a while until you get to see them. Your father will give us a call when she's ready for us."

James pouted but nodded. Philippa watched her father's retreating form with a frown.

* * *

"Arthur!" Ariadne shouted in pain. She clutched her stomach tightly, trying to will the pain away but failing.

Arthur quickly was at Ariadne's side, letting her squeeze his hand as the pain slowly subsided for the moment.

"They're getting worse." Ariadne whispered tiredly.

"I know." Arthur replied, kissing her forehead and then her hand. "Dom will be here any minute."

As if on cue, Dom knocked on the door. Arthur rushed to the door and let Arthur in.

"Let's get her into the car." Dom motioned towards Ariadne who was gasping and trying to smile at Dom. Arthur nodded and swiftly lifted her up. Ariadne wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck and let her head rest on his chest while they quickly made their way to the car.

Arthur slid into the back seat with her and allowed her to rest her head on his lap. He stroked her hair comfortingly as another sharp pain wracked her body. She whimpered and kept her death grip on Arthur's hand.

"How long has she been having contractions?" Dom asked, glancing at Arthur through the rear view mirror.

"A couple of hours." Arthur admitted. Dom sighed.

"Why did you wait so long?" Dom asked, trying not to sound frustrated.

"I wanted to wait. I didn't think things would progress so fast!" Ariadne shrieked. Dom nodded in understanding. Having a baby is scary. Mal was terrified when she went into labor with Philippa.

"Alright. Remember to breathe and try to relax." Dom told her, pushing harder on the gas pedal and speeding up.

Ariadne grunted and Arthur watched her worriedly. Ariadne tried to shoot him a small smile, but another sharp pain captured her attention. Arthur felt so helpless and he was beginning to panic. He shook his head, trying to shake any fears away and focus fully on Ariadne.

Dom's driving got them to the normally fifteen minute drive to the hospital in less than five minutes. They practically jumped out of the car before it was parked, Dom making his way to the front desk to get Ariadne signed in. Arthur carried her inside, her breathing coming in short gasps.

"Just relax. Breathe." Arthur whispered gently to her, kissing her forehead and making his way to where Dom was talking to a nurse with a wheel chair waiting for Ariadne. Arthur placed her into the wheel chair, Ariadne making a noise of protest at the loss of contact from Arthur.

"Alright, Mrs. Giordano. We'll get you settled into a room and wait it out until it's time to take you to the delivery room. Who will be joining you?"

Ariadne gasped, "My husband, Arthur and Dom, he's going to be the godfather."

"Alright ma'am. Just keep breathing." The nurse smiled sympathetically and led the three of them to Ariadne's room.

They got Ariadne changed into a hospital gown and helped her settle into the bed.

"Call if you need anything. We'll be checking up on you every hour to see if you're ready to be moved to the delivery room." The nurse politely told them before closing the door and leaving the three of them in the room.

Ariadne was breathing heavily, her body not used to this amount of pain. Arthur was pacing nervously, both Dom and Ariadne's eyes following him.

"Arthur, come here." Dom pulled Arthur out of the room, smiling softly at Ariadne as he closed the door.

"Breathe, Arthur. Just calm down and relax. You're making Ariadne nervous, heck you're making me nervous! You just need to relax and be there for her. She'll be fine. This will all be over in a few hours, but you need to be there for her, support her. You can't be looking like a nervous wreck in front of her. It will only make things harder for her." Dom sternly told Arthur. Arthur nodded blankly and ran his finger through his hair, not caring that he was messing it up.

"I know, this is all so new to me though. And seeing her in so much pain…" Arthur trailed off.

"That's part of the sacrifice she has to make. She knows it. Trust me, in the end, neither of you will care." Dom smiled. "Now go back in there with your wife, hold her hand, and be strong for her. I'm going to give Eames a call and let him know that his godchild is being born. I'll be back soon."

"Wait!" Arthur called out, but Dom had already turned the corner. Arthur sighed nervously and gained his composure before opening the door and taking his place next to Ariadne.

"How are you doing?" Arthur asked gently, taking her hand in his.

Ariadne shot him a look saying, 'Seriously? You're asking me that?'

"I've been better." Ariadne replied grumpily. She quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry. That was mean."

Arthur smiled at her understandingly. He kissed her hand and allowed her to squeeze his hand as she went through another contraction.

"Soon we'll see the little one." Arthur tried to encourage her. He was working really hard on taking her mind off the pain.

Ariadne coulnd't help herself despite the pain. She grinned widely and nodded.

* * *

Five hours had gone by and the waiting room was filled with people from the team. Dom and the kids were sitting together, waiting anxiously for any news on Ariadne and the new baby. Eames was pacing nervously and anxiously while Yusuf watched him. Saito was running late, but no one was thinking about that at the moment.

"What's taking so bloody long?" Eames finally exclaimed.

"Eames, she's having a baby. These things don't go by fast. Sit down and stop pacing. You're making us all nervous." Dom finally snapped, tired of watching Eames.

Eames grumbled and sat down. Staring at the hallway.

Saito rushed in, looking flushed. "What did I miss?" He asked.

"Nothing. They're still in there." Eames replied impatiently.

"What's wrong with you?" Saito asked, raising his eyebrows at Eames.

"Eames is just being impatient and acting like a little kid." Yusuf answered.

Saito rolled his eyes and took a seat next to Dom. The five of them waited.

* * *

Half an hour later, an extremely tired looking Arthur walked out of the delivery room. Eames jumped up instantly when he saw Arthur making his way towards them.

"Well?" Eames urged. Arthur held up his hand.

"Calm down." He whispered, smiling like an idiot.

"So is it a boy or girl?" Philippa asked excitedly.

"It's a girl." Arthur bragged, forgetting how exhausted he really was.

"What's her name?" James asked.

"We're still talking about it, but I think Ari would want to tell you guys. I'll come and get you when we're ready." Arthur replied, turning to Dom who moved to stand next to him.

"Congratulations Arthur." Dom smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks. I'm gonna head back now…" Arthur pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the room.

Everyone nodded and sat back down, waiting for more news.

* * *

Arthur walked into the room and smiled as he watched Ariadne holding their baby girl. Ariadne looked up at him and grinned. Her hair was disheveled, she was sweaty, and her face was flushed, but to Arthur she never looked more beautiful.

"Hey." Arthur said as he took a seat on the bed and looked down at the small bundle in Ariadne's arms.

"She has your hair." Ariadne told him. Gently brushing her hand over their daughter's head.

"She has your nose." Arthur smiled, gently tapping the baby's nose. The baby stirred and opened her eyes, staring in awe and wonder at her parents looking down at her.

"She definitely has your eyes." Ariadne giggled.

"We both have brown eyes." Arthur replied.

"Yes, but the shape and the way she is observing everything, that's all you." She laughed quietly. Arthur couldn't help but feel proud. This little baby was part of both of them.

"We'll just have to see who she takes after then." Arthur finally replied, never taking his eyes off of his daughter.

"We still have to come up with a name." Ariadne sighed. They hadn't agreed on any names and they were regretting not having picked out any names.

"I know." Arthur stared at his daughter, going through a list of names.

"Well are we going for exotic, or normal?" Ariadne asked. "My parents definitely weren't all for the norm…obviously."

Arthur chuckled. "Either one is fine. Do you have any names?"

"Well I really like Chloe…" Ariadne suggested.

"I liked Amadora."

"Adara is also pretty." Ariadne replied.

"I've always like Alethea." Arthur thought out loud.

"Amorette for middle name?" Ariadne asked.

"Little love…" Arthur looked at his daughter and smiled. "I like it. What about you?" Arthur leaned in and kissed his daughter's nose. She giggled and both Ariadne and Arthur laughed.

"I guess we're going for unique names then." Ariadne stated rather than asked.

Arthur chuckled. "A unique baby deserves a unique name."

"Ambrosia." Ariadne quickly said, looking at her daughter then at Arthur.

"Ambrosia." Arthur looked at the baby yawning at him and smiled. "I like it."

"Ambrosia Amorette Giordani." Ariadne whispered as she cradled her baby girl. She felt tears form in her eyes as she watched her sleeping baby. Arthur kissed the top of Ariadne's head and she looked up at him, smiling.

Arthur held out his arms and Ariadne gently placed Ambrosia in his arms. She stirred slightly, but her eyes stayed closed.

"Hey princess." Arthur whispered as he stared in awe at his beautiful baby. He stole a glance at Ariadne and couldn't help but think that he had the two most beautiful ladies in his life.

"You should go get the others, they're probably going crazy right now." Ariadne broke Arhtur out of his thoughts.

"What?" He asked, giving a sheepish look.

Ariadne giggled. "Go get the others."

"Oh right." Arthur replied, carefully handing Ambrosia to Ariadne.

* * *

"It's about time!" Eames exclaimed.

"Do you want to meet the newest member?" Arthur asked, and James and Philippa leaped up, squealing.

"Shh! You have to be quiet though, the baby will be sleeping." Dom told his kids.

"Come on." Arthur motioned for them to follow him and James and Philippa quickly ran and took Arthur's hands in their own.

The crew quietly made their way into the room. They saw Ariadne holding the small baby and instantly their eyes softened.

"Well, do I get to know my goddaughter's name?" Eames asked, finally breaking the silence.

Arthur nodded and turned to Ariadne.

"Ambrosia Amorette Giordani." Ariadne told them, a bright smile on her face. She was glowing and as everyone turned to look at Arthur, so was he.

"I wanna see!" James said, holding up his arms to be picked up.

Arthur quickly picked up James and held him over Ariadne and the baby.

"She looks like Uncle Arthur!" James happily turned to Dom as he said this. Dom smiled and Eames rolled his eyes.

"My turn!" Philippa tugged on Arthur's pants. Arthur set James down and picked up Philippa. She moved to get a closer look at the baby. She smiled and squirmed, telling Arthur she wanted down.

"She does look like Uncle Arthur!" She giggled and moved to stand next to Dom.

"Can I hold her?" Dom asked and Ariadne nodded. She handed the bundle to Dom carefully and Dom handled her with great care.

"You have some awesome parents Ambrosia." Dom quietly told her. Rocking her gently back and forth. It brought him back to when Philippa was first born. He remembered how Mal had insisted on him picking the name. Dom felt himself choke up and looked up at Arthur and Ariadne who were watching him intently.

Eames walked next to Dom and held out his arms. Arthur stood up, ready to protest, but Ariadne gently grabbed his arm.

Dom handed little Ambrosia to Eames and to everyone's surprise he knew exactly how to handle a baby.

"What? My sisters had me baby sit every once in a while." Eames explained.

"Just don't drop my daughter." Arthur said. Eames rolled his eyes.

There was a flash and everyone turned to see Yusuf with a camera, taking a picture of the scene.

"Hey! None of that!" Eames said a little too loudly causing Ambrosia to wake and begin crying.

"Here, give her to me." Ariadne held out her arms. Eames quickly handed the wailing Ambrosia to Ariadne and backed away nervously. Arthur shot him a glare before moving to Ariadne's side.

"This is why I don't like babies." Saito whispered to Yusuf who scoffed.

"I brought this for you two. I have a plane to catch. Congratulations, both of you." Saito told Arthur, trying not to shout over the loud squalling.

"Thank you." Arthur took the gift from Saito and gave him a quick hug. Saito quickly left the room, the baby's cry still going on.

James and Philippa were covering their ears, not liking the noise that the baby was making.

"Here, let me take her." Arthur finally said after five minutes of the baby crying. Ariadne quickly handed Ambrosia to him and almost instantly she stopped crying. The room stared at Arthur in shock. Eames scowled and sat down, crossing his arms.

"Well it looks like she's going to be a daddy's girl." Dom chuckled. Philippa giggled and James made a face.

Yusuf took this opportunity to take a picture of the new family. Arthur was sitting on the side of Ariadne's bed, while he was cradling Ambrosia, and Ariadne was leaning against Arthur, smiling as she watched Ambrosia.

"So much for corrupting her. She's going to be another Arthur. I can already tell." Eames mumbled. Everyone in the room laughed, including Ambrosia when she saw her dad laugh.

It really was a sight to see. A tightly knit family, that may not have been normal, but a family nonetheless. They had been through so much together, and now being gathered around the new member of the family, they had never felt closer.

* * *

**And there it is! The ending! Wasn't it cute? I just couldn't help myself, I had to go all out on the cuteness for this one! Haha...hope you enjoyed and be on the lookout for oneshots and hopefully soon I will start a new story. I may do a sequel for this one, I'm not sure yet. Sometimes I like to leave things where they are. But maybe snapshots into their life as a family would be fun to do as a sequel, we'll see...I still have to think about it, because I really am satisfied with this ending. Please leave a review! It means so much to me! Thanks again for sticking with me! **

**Again by heart! 3**

**Bethany  
**


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